Ric

Steve, Why all the buisiness, instead of just the answer? Of course, I know Dave has vast experience and is a heck-of-a marble guy, and I assume he's thought about these issues. But given all the different glass and materials used in the runs, I simply wondered if he had prior experience with these glasses and materials, or whether they were tested prior to their use. A simple, honest and serious question. And what I get in return is a whole bunch of . . . . with an answer buried somewhere in it - I think. -Ric

I really like the new Jabos and my son is downright CRAZY about them, so we have many. I don't know much about glass, but I do like to learn, and I find it sad that any serious or critical discussion of these marbles is near impossible. I think that oldmarblenut's initial message may have been a bit alarmist, and could probably have been worded better, but I think his premise is not unreasonable. With all of the great color and additive combos that have been produced, it seems reasonable that COE might be a concern. And I am sort of surprised that nobody involved in the production of these marbles has yet addressed his point. It's seems pretty simple to me . . . Was any testing done, or was COE considered when purchasing or combining the glass for these marbles? No dissing, no accusations, no alarm - just a question. -Ric

O.K. It just seemed to make sense to me that if white Blackies were run with the other Blackies, the white base might be cheaper glass, since it would normally be covered anyway. OTOH, if black Whities were run with the rest of the Whities, I might expect a better quality of white base glass to be used on them, since most of the marble was white. And while you are correct that there is much variation of non-white color within each group, I am not so sure that the same can be said for the base glass, at least in those that I have. Compare, for example, row 1 marble 3 to row 2 marble 4, and also, marble 1 in rows 3 & 4 to marble 2 in row 3. I think the base is distinctly different, at least in hand. If not, then do we call all white-based black-ribboned marbles Blackies, even if they are in Whitie packaging? Or maybe we just don't classify them as Whities or Blackies, since you can't tell them apart? I didn't think these two types were made at the same time, but of course, I could be wrong on that. Thanks, -Ric

Real nice find Duffy, the colors are sweet. -Ric

Thanks Edna, I knew there are white Blackies. That is, Blackies that are missing the color patches. And I imagine that those marbles were produced using the same white base as the rest of the Blackies. I also believe that Vitro would have used a less expensive white for the base on these marbles, since it most often completely covered anyways. On the other hand, the whities are largely white, and I propose that the base on those marbles is a higher quality white than used on Blackies, since it made up the majority of the marbles surface. I also propose that Vitro made black Whities. Do you know anything about that? I know you have a considerable number of both types, would you mind comparing the white bases and letting me know what you think? Thanks Again, -Ric

I thought one of the patches could be white on Type IIs - am I mistaken? -Ric

Mark, You are correct. But these are all Blackies or Whities. I propose there are black Whities and white Blackies in this group. Of course, they're both white based with black bands - do they look the same to you? -Ric

Here's a pic with representative kin. -Ric

Yeah, I know Glitter Man . . . sorry! But my camera's off on another mission at the moment. I'll try to get some up a bit later today. Thanks, -Ric

I've been looking at my Vitros, which don't get much attention in my house, and I've been comparing what I had separated as White Blackies and Black Whities. This separation was initially based primarily on the lots that the marbles came in - a lot with many Whities and no Blackies, or vice versa, would land the black-ribboned marble along with the rest. And these marbles do appear more at home in one group than the other. It seems that the white base on Blackies is not as bright as that on Whities, and as far as I can tell, the black ribbons are often more thinly applied on the Blackies as well. Does anyone else have other suggestions? Would any one have an idea about the relative numbers of these produced? Thanks, -Ric

In my experience, those with two different colored patches (neither white) and two same colored ribbons around the equator (not white) are harder to find. To the best of my recollection, the only ones I've seen like that have yellow, orange or blue ribbons. So I think the ones you're talking about are even less common. -Ric

As Kevin said, the Freese improvement (mid-1920s) to Akro's machines involved offsetting the rollers to get rid of the heavy crimp marks and associated "eyelashes" at the cutoffs. Pre-Freese style cutoffs are also seen on Master marbles, since the Freese improvement was never incorporated on their machines, which were similar to those used by Akro. That's why it can be difficult to distinguish some early Akros from some Masters. At least this is my understanding. -Ric

Carole, WOW! That is no doubt a beautiful marble. I don't think I've ever seen one quite like it. The twisting lutz ribbons are awesome! Is there a name for that type? -Ric

O.K., Since you said "collectors" and not "investors", I'm going to guess Gary - he looks pretty tall in the pics.

Well, I know Steve's not exactly a spring chicken . . . but he's not older than basketball . . . or collages . . . is he? lol -Ric

Yeah . . . I'll bet it's not because he's irresistibly photogenic. lol. . . . JK Griff - couldn't help myself. -Ric

Mighty sweet find there Brad! The handmades are very nice, but I'm really likin' that little red one. -Ric

Those are some sweet ones, Steve. Nice run I'd say. That red is beautiful. What's the story on those clear ones in the second pic? -Ric

Here are some Libby reflector buttons, with a screw base for easy replacement. They came in different colors too. -Ric

If I remember correctly, that type of patch should cover about 1/3 of the marble. I think this is one of the Unique Bird Patches - I'm just not sure which bird. Can ya' see it? -Ric

Nice Kevin. The top one does look a little Citrusy but . . .? -Ric

Sweet Furnace Kevin. They are especially cool when they flare up. -Ric

I thought that the Tawnies were a variation of the Hero style patch but . . .? That one looks more like a mildly lazy cork to me. -Ric

If you're looking for pics and IDs to get started, I would suggest Popular American Marbles (Six, Metzler & Johnson) or Everett Grist's Big Book of Marbles. If you want more about company histories and packaging, then try American Machine Made Marbles (Six, Metzler & Johnson). -Ric

Nice Chinas! -Ric