Royal3

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.

Gorgeous work - and thanks for the primer on clay firing, that’s enlightening!

Thanks for sharing this, Jason! What a great haul those folks found over the years, such an interesting mix, too.

Out-of-round machinemades happen - very few marbles from any manufacturer are perfectly round under a micrometer’s unforgiving measurement. If one is seriously out of round, however, showing flat spots or an egg or oval shape then steer clear - it’s been badly made or possibly polished. When approaching any marble to buy look closely at the surface - is it overly slick? Feel it between your fingers, does it want to squirt out when light pressure is applied? Polished or buffed marbles are extremely slick. Look at the surface thru a loupe - are the edges of the surfaced air holes sharp and squared off? Are they filled with a white substance (polishing compound.) Polished. Then look at how light reflects on the surface of the glass. Normal surfaces have imperfections, so as you turn the marble the light wavers. Polished marbles are nearly perfectly smooth so the light won’t waver or dance as you turn it. Reputable sellers will never knowingly sell a polished or buffed marble without stating so up front. I’ve bought a couple that were, and it stinks. It pays to know your source, and to study your good ones - and your mistakes.

Klay-taw-n you’ve certainly made some interesting looking mibs! They remind me of more colorful lined crockeries or jaspers. Welcome to the board and I hope you have a blast following these little round things...

Never, ever knowingly sell a polished marble without stating clearly up front that it has been polished - doing so is a fast ticket to huge problem and a loss of your reputation as a reliable seller. Polishing any marble dramatically reduces the value, often to a small fraction of the original. In the case of some large handmades there may be a case to made for polishing - I have a few in my personal collection, e.g., examples I really liked but were otherwise beat up so badly as to be unviewable. As for “naked eye mint” but loupe imperfect, there’s nothing wrong with describing the marble that way. Very, very few marbles can stand up to the scrutiny of 10X magnification without exposing a few problems. I think more information is always better - describe what you see.

Just for the record, I agree with Sami, I’d never polish any machinemade marble nor would I advise else anyone to do so. I’ve yet to see a polish or buff that has improved the look of one, and you’ve ruined a perfectly good marble that was well loved by some child or children - it had history. As for handmades, some larger heavily cased (lots of clear) marbles can be polished to good effect, but it does take a skilled, knowledgeable polisher. Sadly Leroy was the best - he was one fine gentleman, full of marble knowledge, life and good humor.

Akro made a few with an odd mercury-like coating, giving the marble an oily, iridescent-like finish. I picked up a small blue oxblood with it at a show nearly 20 years ago and Roger Hardy confirmed that it was a genuine production item. It’s a bear to photograph and I’m up to my knees in alligators right now - I’m recovering from hip replacement surgery and a dead car too - but I’ll try to get a photo posted soon.

Craig you deserve a medal for doing this. If you ever want to pass the hat to help offset costs I’m in, and I’m sure others would be as well.