bumblebee

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.

While definitely CAC, I see patterns that suggest remelting of the rubber, probably to repair teeth marks.

This thread reminded me of this yard sale score over at LOM from 2011.

Could it be as simple as fewer new faces in the hobby? Veterans are picky. After five years in the hobby I don't think I need to own another white-based cork, two-color WV swirl, or 5/8" slag unless they are exceptional examples. That being said I still rarely win anything on eBay. People still seem to be overpaying for the stuff I want. I only make one show a year so I can't comment on show prices. I did notice some great deals in March at the show and regret I didn't arrive earlier and with more cash. I'm still trying to land a "complete" NLR collection in wet mint condition. I never touched Germans due to price but they're starting to look reasonable now.

Here's my one and only 1" tri-lite that I wouldn't trade for anything but maybe a 1" CAC.

Wow. I spranged my smile muscle.

So Rich are you saying that we can no longer claim that a marble was made in a definite period of history by a definite company? We are entitled to our own opinions about what we like to collect, but not our own facts. I get the line about collecting what you like, but you seem to be implying there is no difference between remelted CAC cullet and original CAC marbles? Obviously in this hobby we sometimes can't say exactly for sure who made what, but it's fairly easy to distinguish between a remelt and an original, particularly in hand. If your definition of CAC is broad enough to include contemporary remelts of original CAC cullet that's your choice, but I think most collectors make the distinction not only to accurately reflect historical reality but also because our eyes can easily spot the differences.

As a courtesy please always define your acronyms. These may also be MFKACs (Marbles Formerly Known as CACs) or RRRRRs (Recently Rounded Remelts Risking Resale)