bumblebee

Killermarbles traded me a nice little CAC striped opaque for a nice little handmade I had found locally in the wild. It is always an exciting and humbling experience to see collections like his where there are marbles that are worth more than your entire collection. I also got to hold Galen's big insane red/black/yellow CAC flame that looks like it flew in from outer space. Holding it, I had this feeling that even if I collected for 50 years I would not find its like. I bought three guinea halves and from the right angle they look whole! Now I can say that I own 1 1/2 guineas. Bennie Jones was there Friday night but not Saturday, so I ended up spending most of my mib money with him and his increasingly flexible pricing. It sort of spoiled me for Saturday when vendors were asking for $15 for 5/8" Masters and other offences against my cheapskate collecting sensibilities. I also got a cork with a clear, honey-colored opalescent base, which is just stunning in hand. Never saw one before but now it is one of my favorite corks. Would like to see its big brothers.

Hooray for oldmarblenut!

I hope both report that guy with the link I gave earlier.

I don't think ebay acts on fraud listings unless they are active brands like fake purses and what not. That one guy sold fake Benningtons for years and everyone reported him to no effect.

Was this it? Did you make a best offer?

If he threatened you within the ebay messaging system you can visit http://ocs.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ContactUs&wftype=3002 with the details and tell them he did it within the messaging system, etc. I suspect they might actually do something, although knowing eBay it will be a slap, not a ban.

Good question. I have seen a couple guys like that at shows and always walk away puzzled how they manage to sell anything.

The big one is an original Shrinky Dink marble. Put it in the oven for 15 minutes and you'll have two of the little guys, but of course you will lose some value.

Why are Sparklers rare to begin with? Were they hard to make? Unpopular? On the West Coast I never found one in the wild in any condition in 5+ years of collecting.

Wow, how nice of a CAC was it?

Looking forward to it. Some good deals last year and my biggest regret was showing up late with not enough cash. Any new names selling vintage marbles this year?

My first wild marble lot included a scalped 1" brown MFC. I remember the feeling of mystery and history when I saw it, because it was so much different and older looking that the machinemades in the lot. Despite its missing 1/4" of its glass on one pole, I still have it today, although I confess it is rolling around the back yard for the kids to play with.

We would be delighted to hear any and all marble lore from your childhood, such as nicknames of marbles, etc.

Don't forget bad weather affecting shipping these days. I had a recent eBay purchase begin in Utah, go to Florida, and then boomerrang back to California.

I think it would be fun to do the name game with common marbles that nobody wants to see more of. How about "Green Flingers" and "Coke Bottle Cats" and "Akro White Sighs" (white-based prize name corks; apologies to Akro lovers who can't get enough of those)

I just got a 1 3/64" green MFC slag in NM with a very nice 9 "window" from eBay for $8.50 (only 2 bids). With such a nice pattern if it had been mint I personally would have paid $40 or so, but I expect others might pay more.

I highly recommend watching http://www.racetonowhere.com/ to get a sense of the state of America's schools today. In my experience with my 5th grader, math is still idolized at the expense of language arts, but children are not taught to think, only to pass tests.

There's a fat eggyolk oxblood and maybe a couple of bulging popeyes...still, even in wet mint that sale price is extreme. I think many collectors gamble on the 14-day money back listings because condition is difficult to tell particularly in those photos.

Let me guess the next Jabo special run will be called "Alley Trash Tribute"

Nice! I have offended the gods, who raineth vacors, green cats and imperials upon my head.

I see these so often that you have to wonder how many they made by hand.

All it takes is two people with deep pockets to make the sky the limit.

Or, as the old pirate saying goes, a parrot with a broken beak does not get to sit on the Captain's shoulder.

Are these really marbles, or were they like rubber balls originally that have since hardened?

Neat! Somebody should ask him to post hi-res photos so we can keep them for research purposes.