ann

Sometimes turquoise matrix is dyed blue to produce a blue stone very much like those you see here. Don't know about the Asian production part, but I don't see anything that would indicate that the board is old or African -- at least not traditional African. Maybe "souvenir" African, or what's sometimes called "airport art." Which sometimes has its own charm. Like the happy crocodile . . .

I agree with Galen . . . (what!??) I'm just a buyer, not a seller, and the highest-end marbles are way beyond my price range, but - - but usually a high start price will put me off. Even if I wouldn't mind paying MORE than that for the marble. I'm happy enough starting bidding at $9.99 or whatever and eventually paying $90 for it. But if the starting price was $60 I might not have gone for it at all. Go figure. It's psychological, and I'm aware of it, but there it is . . .

Hi migbar! Love the copperhead with aventurine & uranium . . .

Sometimes smaller ones do too -- I have a couple of ground pontil "blizzard" micas that are about 1" with mica distribution this even. I'm just puzzled at the seller posting only one picture, and not a particularly good one, at that. I wouldn't buy any marble from one pic . . .

EEEEE that would be the one! It's mine, mine, all mine . . . it's a little brighter in hand, but I could need this one, too, you know, I mean they're not EXACTLY alike, and . . . oh dear, halfway down that slippery slope again . . .

Nice! Is it Egyptian? Roman? Can I have it???

I just bought one almost exactly like it from marblealan. Yes, I got carried away. Oh dear. Now I'm gonna want this one too. NO! NO! HELP ME! HELP ME!

I think that sparkler is Master . . .

Or me.

GL$$, man, those non-white ones just kill me . . . Bubba, that leaves me kinda speechless. And that's hard to do!

Violet cats arn't common . . . will buy one from you, if you have that many! PM me!

Me too (jealous). Maybe someday I will have a beat-up golden rebel . . .

I wouldn't buy it unless I had a lot more money. Then I would buy it. If I bought big marbles.

I have heard a few negative things about him/them, but I personally haven't had any trouble with his marbles or his service. All of the marbles I've gotten from him have been at least as nice as advertised. I've only bought antique handmades from him though. Their knowledge seems a little weak on vintage machine mades. But then, that's when you might (emphasis on the word "might") be able to score. Delotronic: Keep an eye on Christiansen Agates -- prices on a few types of those will make your eyes bug out too . . .

I'll second all that. Yellow Jacket. And the seller is on the "beware" list . . . used to be mikeswvmarbles or mikeswestvirginiamarbles --

Might want to see close-ups of a few when they come!

They look like nice handmade German swirls, cane-cut -- solid cores, some divided (ribbon) cores, and maybe a single ribbon core (pretty rare). If they're all in as good a condition as they look to be, you got a great deal. When they come, take a look at the pontils -- the more-or-less rough spots at the "north and south poles" of each mib (where it was severed from the glass cane). The "top" may have the appearance of a smoothed curl or little spiral of glass. If the "bottom" or "south" pole is rough, it was made sometime between around 1880 and 1920 or so. If it's been ground smooth (you can see "facets" when you turn it in the light) then it was probably made between about 1860 - 1880.

ha ha ha ha hee hee hee hee we are legion ha ha ha ha . . .

That's true, but the reason people started refering to it as "lutz" on those Jabos was because what antique marble collectors called "lutz" had not been seen on a machine-made marble before. That's all. As you pointed out, in the experimental Jabo runs, green aventurine was called green aventurine, blue aventurine was called blue aventurine, and mica was called mica. When lutz appeared -- as they hoped it would -- people said OMG, lutz! Period. It was believed to be the first time lutz had appeared on a machine made until a well-known and well-respected collector said, "Not really, I have some Alleys with lutz." And by golly he did. Marbles and pictures were shown around, and a small group of people started combing back through their Alleys and keeping an eye out for it. And a few more Alleys with lutz have since turned up. That's all there is to it. Say lutz, and people know what you mean, as you say. It's just a convenience word. Others can argue about how that thing called lutz was produced, and when, and where, until the cows come home, but it doesn't make any difference. No need to cast it in the light of the World-Wide Jabo Conspiracy some folks here seem to believe in . . .

Absolutely, Bill!

Maybe -- but I think the WV swirls usually referred to as metallics had threads or stripes of something that looked very much like silver or shiny lead -- some gray metallic-looking material. . . Something like the Jabo "lawn chair" marbles. I don't think anyone would automatically say "metallic" at a first glance at one of the Alley lutzes. More like . . . "hey, is that something sparkly there?" . . .

You're right. "End-of-day" just bugs the heck out of me.

ONG. I'm afraid if I'd seen that I'd still be burrowing down in the earth (the end is coming! the end is coming!)