bumblebee

Not to mention all the potential fleabites and moons as they bang about, but I'm too lazy to examine each one after so I just put them away in denial about potential damage.

Many of you have had this happen, I'm sure. I had too many marble trays on my desk and I pushed my chair and knocked two off, including a cigar box packed with some of my favorite Vitros. Inevitably when this happens I end up not being able to fully refill the trays, so there are escaped marbles in my room somewhere.

My favs so far in this thread are the Vitros, the Masters and the Pelt Rainbos (when they look like Rainbos) at that size. Would like to see mint 1" slags. Here is Grandpa Bennington (almost 1 3/8") next to his peewee grandson.

Nice one! I don't hunt (yet) and still am not used to hearing rifle fire every morning here in Montana. Back in Southern California gunfire meant lock your doors and expect helicopters to buzz your neighborhood for two hours.

That's what I was trying to suggest...definitely had a husky voice and wore ragged gooseberry pinstripes.

I was wondering about the one on the left as well as being painted rather than mixed clay, but the colors are spot-on matches...same factory, perhaps, different method?

Goosecornhuskberry

Would this be one? Found this in Google images, apparently from an antiquetrader article but can't find the article showing the image.

It was my assumption orange peel happened due to surfaces on the marble machine, because I've only seen it on very large mibs. I figured the heavier big marbles while still malleable would gather these dimples by virtue of their weight. Just a theory, though.

Curious to know that as well, and also in what sizes? The biggest vaseline slag I've found is 7/8".

Rough rollers?

Per this old article, I assume these are "Jaspers" or "Croton alleys". The 3/4" one has a Bennington look to it as if it were painted, but the 5/8"ish ones I have definitely appear to be streaked by actual green and blue clay. I do not have enough of them to dare break one open to confirm that.

Wow, perfect for a museum of marbles.

I would assume they made them on purpose. If not it was a very happy coincidence. Still, of all my Tiger Eyes that's the only one with solid "V" on it, so it doesn't seem they were trying too hard to get "V"s on those.

Wish all my Vitro Tiger Eyes were signed thus with a perfect V backlit through clear base glass by the blue veneer opposite.

Seems an odd business decision to renew the Akro trademark and then market handmade marbles. Who in the world thinks of "handmade" when they think Akro? I guess it's better than them making machine mades and confusing the collecting world further.

Wow. Reminds me of some colors in Mary Poppins.

I'm guessing some of his polished peewees were once 5/8" or bigger!

Just bumping this because I was hoping they tracked down Bo's marbles (and the offenders who took them). This was such a sad thing to read.

Saw my first wild Montana marbles...included a 3/4" "christmas tree" ribbon lutz (nm minus), a neon aqua melon ball, a few latticino swirls, and some wet mint benningtons, then a lot of common 50s-60s mibs in so-so shape. Nothing heart-stopping. Owners weren't selling yet because they wanted to pick their favorites for sentimental reasons but it is nice to see old mibs. Fingers crossed as when I do get to pick through them they're bringing more next time.

I won't be able to because I'll be too busy clearing snow off my 75-ft gravel driveway at 6 AM in the dark.

Thanks. I must have misheard that someone was hand-faceting contemporary agates intentionally to mimic vintage ones. Guess I just scored a very nice old one...now to find some blues or greens.

Great advice...I've noticed out here in MT people aren't as internet-connected so you have to dig around in person rather than on sites like Craigslist to get leads. Hoping I can get to shows within reasonable distances.

@Steph = It rolls well enough. You can definitely feel the facets everywhere with your thumbnail. @machinemades = I assumed the contemporary agate artist I heard about was intentionally cutting them in the traditional way, hand grinding them down, rather than using a sphere machine. In other words, he wanted those facets to show, but again this is just me overhearing rumors.