Royal3

What a great idea! They ought to do one with all of the players at the next Wildwood National Tournament and make a fundraising poster out of it.

I do too.

Bottom is a little sketchy, maybe a pontil. Nice little handgathered mib!

Definitely worth it, Steph, that’s stunning! Beautiful marbles, and the sunlight just brings them alive.

Jelles Marble Runs, the league John Oliver sponsored on YouTube, has been getting a lot of recent attention in the media as viewership online has risen during the Covid crisis. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/03/marble-racing-jelles-sports-espn-origin https://www.si.com/more-sports/2020/03/22/marble-racing-jelle-coronavirus-sports-greg-woods-commentator https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/23/sport/jelles-marble-runs-coronavirus-sport-spt-intl/index.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/03/marble-racing-jelles-runs-video/ Jelles Marble Runs new season starts here... https://youtu.be/k9QDz94WIPA

Good on John! I haven’t seen “Last Week Tonight” yet - it’s on the DVR - but I rarely miss it, he is always a trip. Are you not entertained?😆

Hey Woodse, I just posted the granola recipe in the “What Are You Eating?” forum here on the board. It does have one somewhat uncommon ingredient, barley malt syrup, but it’s available from King Arthur Flour and Amazon that I know of and makes a big difference in flavor and I think crunch, too. I’ve used it in granola for years. Hope you enjoy it!

Recipe by request... Maple Nut Granola Dry: 4 c oatmeal Bob’s Red Mill extra thick rolled oats 1 c toasted unsweetened coconut flakes (toasted @300° about 6-7 min.) 1/2 c Bob’s Red Mill hulled hemp or sesame seeds, raw 1/2 c Bob’s Red Mill flax or bran meal 1-1/4 c toasted pecans ( toast at 350° for 6-8 min. or so) 1/2 c raw wheat germ Wet: 2/3 c + 2 TBL Maple Syrup, Grade B dark 1/3 c + 1 TBL Barley malt syrup - available from King Arthur or Amazon 1/2 c + 2 TBL coconut oil 2 TBL Light brown sugar (added to wet ingredients) Add to liquid after it cools slightly: 1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla paste (or vanilla extract) 1/2 tsp. fresh nutmeg 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. table salt Optional: scant 1/8 tsp. maple flavoring Mix dry ingredients well in a large bowl or pan. Combine wet ingredients in a small saucepan on low on the stove, adding vanilla and spices after removing from heat and cooling, then add the wet to the dry and mix VERY well. Divide evenly on two half sheets covered with parchment paper and bake in pre-heated oven at 300° (275° if convection) for approximately 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 until nicely brown and crunchy. Cool well and store in airtight container. Add dried fruit if desired.

I agree on both calls, in these pics the handmade looks like a very nice naked core swirl, but some closer pics would help.

I can relate, Marbleized, as another senior retiree living in a condo, weekends are just another day, unfortunately, especially now for us sports fans ☹️ Groundhog Day was always a favorite movie but now that I’m living it it’s more difficult than I thought. I miss my family and friends. We had just leased a new car - our old one died the day before my hip replacement surgery three months ago, perfect timing 😝 - and had planned to go visiting a lot more by now, do some traveling - ha! “Life is what happens while other plans are being made.” Always. I read, I cook - I’m the chef for two of us, my lovely wife of 47 years - I bake (best brownies and homemade granola in the city,) I garden as much as my joints arthritis let me, and marble a bit. Watch too much TV of course, and sleep too little. And that new car, now two months old, still has less than 400 miles on it.

Neat dish, Steph, it looks carefully curated. What is the sphere at far 3 o’clock? Is that a wild snowflake obsidian or something else?

That seems logical, to quote our pointy-eared friend up there😉

Truly fascinating find, Jason. Is there a more remarkable natural substance on the planet than honey?

Great link, too, there’s some nice eye candy there.

Good to know, Brian, thanks! Question - by different, could you describe or show how? Or is it the more orange of the other example?

The following is a step-by-step instructional provided by Louis Camp the admin for posting photos here, which will draw more responses. You can also use a photo posting service - I like Imgur. It will also help if you can post pics of one marble as detailed and close-up and in-focus as you can manage - I know, they’re difficult. “Start new post. Under attachments, use the browse button to find the picture on your computer, click on your picture then click open. The picture is ready to upload to our server. Hit attach this file. The picture will upload. You can do this several time to add more than one picture. If you don't hit "add to post" your pictures will show at the end of your post. If you want your pictures mixed in between your text, you need to put your spacer where you want the picture to go and hit "add to post". You have just put a picture in your post.” There is also a Test Forum on this site to allow you to practice posting. Hope this helps.

Hey Andrea, good to see your handle on a post again, it’s been a long time! Glad to “see” you again. I’m with Galen, these old eyes could use better views, especially of the pontil on the second one - I think it’s most likely an American transitional not German though.

LOL just call me Granola “Flakey” Lions (I mixed’em)

Akro made blue ones as well, just as CAC made white moons too. To my knowledge CAC only made those two colors, however - others may know of others. As for the differences, they’re subtle, to my eyes the CAC have as usual a bit richer, deeper glass. The one blue I have literally glows just sitting there - it’s long been one of my favorite mibs. Just an aside - anyone remember the old Ban Roll-On deodorants? It was big back in the 50’s and 60’s. It featured sticky deodorant juice in a glass tube that rolled on with a big glass marble. Marble fiend that I was in those days, of course I had to break a jar open and get to one. That mib was almost indistinguishable from an Akro moonie. I think it’s still here...somewhere. If I ever find it I’ll post it.

#2 is an interesting mib

Tabbies are the best! 😺

These were some of the most expensive marbles produced and sold by any manufacturer and you have to see them in hand to appreciate them. CAC’s moonies, white and blue, are equally if not more impressive. Below is a CAC Blue Moon and a box of Akro orange...

Ron you should open your own museum. I hadn’t seen a few of those - the complete ‘buddy’ kit and towel holder, e.g., are just beauties.

I wish I could help you on the Blenko/marble connection - and I have to assume there were some links given their proximity to the marble plants - but I just wanted to say you have a lovely collection of their glass, schmoozer! Nicely displayed too. I used to live not far from Blenko (Barboursville) while I was a traveling salesman as a much younger man and I kick myself I never took an interest in stopping there or learning much about them. Ah, youth!

I commend you for your intelligent approach to the market and your attempt to keep it safe - if only all sellers had your scruples! As you’ve unfortunately found such is not the case, there’s always a Fast Buck Freddie out there willing to “screw the other guy and pass the savings on to you.” Keep up the good work and the good fight, and caveat emptor.