bumblebee

@Steph, didn't I find some newspaper ad from Canada that mentioned a more colorful variety than the usual offering from Asia? My brain betrays me. 😗

Such a loss. He brought much joy and knowledge and passion to the hobby.

Nice group! You guys are inspiring me to come up with some sort of custom case where the marble holes contain a bright LED light for backlighting. That would be fantastic!

Wow, you have patience! Your last one is gorgeous with all that backlighting. Looks like a full moon! Happy New Year

My macro lens can do better with better lighting, but this is a good example for now. Just beware using a lens like this on your "mint" glass marbles. They're more damaged than you think. 😉 Notice the grind pattern of the facets varies because the marble was being turned.

Three unusual things on a mildly rotting Halloween pumpkin I'm finally throwing away before 2023. The center one was affixed to something once but looks like slag glass that was pressed into a mold. Left is an undyed faceted agate and right is a vaseline glass tear drop.

OK people, when your adult child gives you this mug for Christmas, you are officially chronic. To be fair, I am unsure whether I agree with this mug. What I do agree with is that I have a problem. 🤣

Wow...look at the shooting technique of some of these fellas. Seriously deadly aim, and artful wind up.

Hah! This is one of the greater lines in contemporary literature. Noted! 🤣

Marbleholics Anonymous welcomes you:

Apparently Chad sent some of his surplus karma my way today with a faceted 1.13" agate marble mail. 🤣 I believe this was part of a display piece originally, as the bottom pole has some significant pitting that was filled in with some sort of hard yellow filler.

Wow such a special lot. Any backstory on these in terms of provenance? I once heard some families in Germany would make their own bullet mold marbles, but haven't heard that since.

Some Chad-worthy marbles. Perhaps the Universe gave them to me just so I could share the joy here with Chad and Co? 😉

Three cheers for Chad! Hip Hip, Hooray! Hip Hip, Hooray! Hip Hip, Hooray!

If you know German agates, you know green or blue dyed shooters are as rare as hen's teeth. So imagine my smile when I gambled less than $20 shipped on these two, assuming they were likely machine ground and newer which in my experience they usually are. Nope! Hand-faceted and as happy in their new home as I am to have them. 😁

This is the way, people! @RolleyHoleMan, I assume the marble size must be 3/4" or ? Also I'd be interested to learn more about how they are made. Were they always made locally or did the players use the extant German agate marbles that would have been around from the late 19th and early 20th centuries?

Neat! I always wanted to watch a game of this in person although I'd probably need to read the rules a few times first.

Done! Thanks for the updates. Forgot about machinemades. Don't know the others but glad to have them onboard.

I was hoping to put more sellers in that link but so far, here's the list in my current link on the top of the site. Feel free to suggest others: cedarman7,hjdmarbles,orange_orbital,rhgeis65jk,oldnurse85,natwilso-9,arasmus,bobblocksmarbles,oldnurse85-c,wvrons

Oh, I get you. I wasn't sure if you meant there was a stone Oxblood glass. 😁 Original of course would be actual ox blood (not googling that!) Speaking of agates, there are some quite nice ones if you search eBay for "agate sphere" instead of "agate marble"...sometimes they can be had for a song, although quality in terms of flaws and polish varies.

I had seen the familiar 7/8" twist ones before in person, but not these intricate 5/8" ones. I have to say many are quite pretty, and at $3 each, I am tempted to cherry pick next time.

Thanks for thinking of me as a go-to but I stumble around in the mists of time as much as the next collector. 😉 Gorgeous agate with all those tightlines and sharp angles but how far back does your definition of "original" go? Machine ground, yes? At that unusually large size with that type of pattern, methinks it could be more baby boomer or newer. I've misplaced my agate book so maybe @hdesousa can chime in. Pattern reminds me of what often is called "mad river agate" or Madagascar jasper often seen on eBay in that similar size:

Sometimes I put myself in the shoes of non-collectors and realize how silly this must seem from their eyes, but I get it. That Blue Panther sure has a lot of what look like sheared/flat bubble pops...anybody else notice that?

Came home from work Friday to find these notes on my porch, left by the neighborhood kids I have given marbles to in the past: "Marbles is Your Thing" "Thank You for Your Marbles. Have a Nice Day" So utterly charming. A sort of marble score of a higher kind. Of course I left them an answer note with marbles and other gifts to find this week.

Local Craigslist ads have gotten me some nice scores over the years.