bumblebee

Oddly enough somebody was selling a few of these locally in Southern California as part of their "vintage" collection. They might have been unwitting victims of the eBay sellers.

I am interested to see how these auctions continue doing in light of supply and demand. For me personally, I have no interest in "same run" Sparklers (at least not at market prices) because I prefer variety. But practically speaking, my pockets aren't deep enough to win Sparklers at current market prices, so I am more the jackal outside the kill, hoping the lions eat themselves to sleep so I can get scraps.

I think most here would agree that two or more machine made marbles manufactured one after another is a run. Subjectively speaking, I say it remains a run until one or more variables alter the appearance of the marbles coming off the rollers to the point where the human eye can detect a consistent difference. So if JABO makes 1 million clear industrial marbles, it's a run insofar as they all look the same to us. But if midway in the process Joe's watch slips off into a glass tank, then there will be a brief "Joe's Timex" run. If Akro Agate was able to precisely control all of the variables of the manufacturing process, especially the variables in big quantities of raw materials used in the glass recipes, then theoretically they could have produced Sparklers a year apart but which to a collector's eye look like the same "run" (or batch). But I consider that a very tall order given the complexities of a Sparkler marble. Think of just some of the variables that could alter one or more aspects of a marble's appearance: temperature, equipment wear and maintenance, employee skill and error, and especially those mass quantities of raw ingredients and the recipes. Think of those variables influencing the look of a Sparkler. It sure as heck ain't no Prize Name.

Of course there are "same runs" in the sense that large batches of marbles were produced from the same batch of colored glasses.

Sweet! Those are rare...I still haven't found a proper hand faceted banded blue or green.

Once PM is working on your account, it will be like a Wal-Mart Black Friday opening day with Sparkler fans rushing the doors...

Try this link? http://marbleconnection.com/index.php?app=members&module=messaging&section=send&do=form

I sometimes get agates that do not appear to have facets, but which in color and design look similar to hand-faceted agates. According to http://marbleconnection.com/topic/20580-carskadden-and-gartleys-chapter-on-agates/ agates that were left polishing long enough could come out without facets, and even some of the earlier agates were mill ground (but likely not with as high a polish). I'm wondering whether anyone has found agates that look vintage but which lack facets, or in my case, one that appears to have none except a few faint ones on both poles under a loupe. On the other hand, a truly hand-faceted one is unmistakable in sunlight and with the old thumbnail test.

I guess I may be striking out in MT as well. When I last visited up there I met a 10-yo boy who is a trapper by trade (no joke!) but he had recently started collecting marbles. I sent him a filled show-off tray with a complete ID guide. I consider it an investment in building the next generation of collectors.

That gives me a great idea...I could buy clays up by the hundreds and then hand draw fancy designs on them with markers!

Like 30 hours...dang. Regardless, I am thinking my chances of finding older marbles will increase in Montana and its surrounding areas.

I am moving from Southern California to NW Montana in a month or so and was wondering whether my chances were increasing for finding scores in the wild. It's a wasteland here in SoCal aside from the annual show, but I did not find anything in MT on my last visit. I'd be about 3.5 hours east of Spokane, WA, but only 25 miles or so south of Canada. If anything maybe I could score some of those Canadian transitionals.

I confess I have been fantasizing. And the more I think about it, the more I realize how many ways this could be done wrong, but also right.

I would sell 90 of best looking mint ones on eBay in lots of 3, 10 lots a week, for three weeks. I would take gorgeous pictures and enjoy the feeding frenzy. I would not offer returns. Then I would send 40 to Morphy Auctions and hold off selling more until they auctioned those 40. Then I would reserve a booth at a bigger marble show and magically appear with a box of my remaining mint ones. I would not do any room trading or let anyone know ahead. The Sparklers would be in a covered box that was decorated with sparkly glitter. There would be a velvet cover on the box and I would be wearing a white glove. I would sell them for $20 each with no cherry picking. People would hand me $20 and I would reach under the velvet and randomly pull out a Sparkler for them. Then I would start a thread on here called Show Me Your Sparklers. I would offer lots of five mint sparklers chosen at random for a discounted price to each member on this board. In order to purchase them, I would require each member to spell the word "Sparkler" using marbles from his or her own collection. They would then post a photo of the Sparkler on that thread, and let me know their PayPal address. I would invoice them for the Sparklers and send them out upon receipt of payment. This way everyone has fun. By this point the market is a bit flooded so I would camp on the remaining sparklers and rinse and repeat five years from now.

Awesome find! I only have one Sparkler at present, and not minty.

Wow, amazing, and I thought I was lucky finding a mint Golden Rebel in Southern California.

Wow, those shooters from wvrons are breathtaking...especially those parrots and neons.

Vintage = Jabo Classics

Perplexing. Seems like several plain and primitive clearie types in this lot (maybe 5/8" each?)--do we see those elsewhere? Who would trouble to make those today and then age them down? How come he has one very similar to the other seller's that looks in mint condition? How did it survive if it was owned for decades by the same folks who battered the others? This seller is 90 minutes away from the seller http://www.ebay.com/usr/supermarbleswhich doesn't necessarily mean anything. Bulgaria, land of mystery and mystery marbles.

Over the years these are some phrases I've picked up in eBay listings from sellers selling marbles. Many of these sellers are totally innocent and my goal here is not to make it personal, but to be funny and share some of my pain I'm sure many of you have felt over the years: "unpicked" = picked over by a collector (how else would they know there was value in picking?) "played with" = damaged "overall pretty good" = damaged "judge by the photos" / "you be the judge" = damaged "i am not an expert' = knows marbles well enough to put in this disclaimer "almost an inch" = 7/8" or below "huge estate collection" = estate of former Mega Marbles employee "selling as is" = extraordinarily damaged "mint minus" = NM+ or NM "near mint minus" = slingshot ammo "?" in title of listing = knows enough to have picked out the CACs "old?" = contemporary "oxbloods" = marbles with red glass Who has more?

Here is an Akro "pollywogs" (note the plural) which is when the black cork breaks and you get two baby frogs, one on each pole. OK, I made that up this morning, but can you think of a better name?

I say they should knuckledown at the next marble show and play for keeps, each offering up 10 of their keepers as the prize. Probably would get on the local news.

Gorgeous. Would look very nice next to my opalescent and orange corkscrew (or whatever you namers call them).

Just to add to the thread, I think these are contemporary/foreign.

Found this along with some old board games. Almost complete but for a missing green post (I think). I think those red torpedos are extensions to make the game easier as they fit onto the green. Now the question becomes why can't I find vintage marble boxes?