Ric

Nice group there, Steve. Thanks for the photo. Bring them to Vienna if you have room. I certainly wouldn't mind taking a look at them. -Ric

Sorry you're having photo troubles, Edna. But I'm patient a person, and I'll be looking forward to seeing a few of your Cairo marbles when things get worked out. Thanks for trying though! -Ric

I recall some recent rumblings about somebody wanting to see/show some Cairo Novelty marbles - it seems I recall Edna or somebody saying something about it. Although, it may have just been wishful thinking on my part. Regardless, I would really like to see some examples of Cairo marbles. I know they're out there, so if you have them, please show them! I'll start with one of my favorites. -Ric

That is a nice one, Bill. Leroy did good! See ya' soon. -Ric

We had something similar in Indiana and I think other states have had similar too. -Ric

Hey Griff, They ain't all narrow. -Ric

And thanks for showing that one too, Al. -Ric

Thanks Big John, That's what I was hoping to see. They're both mighty fine marbles, but I really like that top one - awesome colors! -Ric

Cool marbles. The one front left is really nice. And the color on the one front right does look similar to those I showed. But I guess it's becoming clearer to me that there's surprising variation in the MK reds. And I would still like to see a nice picture of an MK with "oxblood" on it. Do they exist - where the "ox" is more than a fine line? Thanks, -Ric

Here's a couple of pretty cool 3/4" MKs I picked up recently. One of them has a nice little twist in it. And the darker patches are pretty interesting too. One pole is considerably darker than the other, almost looks a bit like oxblood, but I'm not too familiar with the MK version, so I'm hoping someone else might have an opinion or some examples. Any thoughts? Thanks, -Ric

Wow Craig, those are some beauties for sure, and that onion skin is off the chart! -Ric

Hey Bruce, I like it a lot too, and FWIW, it does look kind of MK to me as well. -Ric

Windy, I noted Alan's Ravenswood long ago, and I have already considered the Ravenswood possibility in consultation with other collectors who have much more knowledge of the WV swirls than myself. The consensus is that mine are not Ravenswood, and as you can see from my photos, it does appear that ours are kin. A primary concern is the smearing of the blue present on our marbles as compared to Alan's. So given that, I continue to search for any examples from confirmed sources. And if I ever do get to the point where I have any confidence in an ID, I'll be sure to let you know - now that I know mine aren't the only ones on the planet . -Ric

The first one is really nice, and there's definitely some cool technique going into the second. -Ric

That really is a cool one, Carole - new to me too. -Ric

Thanks Carole. And that is a good question Felicia. Having considered several alternatives and consulted with a few collectors more knowledgeable than myself, Akro has been mentioned as a possibility. But I would certainly like to hear what others think. -Ric

Here's a few. -Ric

Me too, Windy. The color on these looks a bit like an anemic oxblood. And if anyone else has pictures of similar, I sure would like to see them. Thanks, -Ric

Great show report, Windy - came home with some nice marbles too! Thanks for sharing. I don't know how I missed your post the first time around. One of the marbles you posted really caught my eye. I have a couple of its kin, and have been trying to place them for a long while. Any idea on the maker of this one? Thanks, -Ric

Yup . . . good work. -Ric

Wow! That purple, green and yellow is too sweet! -Ric

Hey Smitty, I'm getting a board error when I click the link. -Ric

I got these at auction a couple of weeks ago. I don't find them very often, but I really like the striping. -Ric

Here's another.

Well said Felicia. The more marbles the merrier I say! There's something for anyone and everyone in this hobby. Personally, I am most fond of the old Ravenswood, Alley, Cairo and Heaton marbles (in that order ). Although of course, I like lots of others too. My son has always liked Jabos, and I've always appreciated them as well. And now, the special runs coming out of there are no doubt some of the sweetest machine made marbles produced in America for a very long while. My son goes completely bananas over them. The first Joker run really got him collecting, thanks in large part to the kindness of the people involved, and all the other collectors who warmly welcomed him into the marble community and encouraged him to "collect what you like". Since then, he's never seen a special run he didn't like, and we've had a wonderful time going to shows together and visiting with other collectors and talking about marbles . . . of every kind. And frankly, I'm sort of happy he's not competing with me for those old WV swirls! -Ric P.S. A HUGE THANKS to all of those folks who have helped and encouraged Jake along the way. I am very grateful to each and every one of you!