ann

Since these kept coming up (Jolly Green Giants - Alley) I dug out some from a thread awhile ago, for comparison -- and forgot to say that all the ones I've seen (I only have 3 myself) have varying amounts of oven debris, sometimes not very noticeable, sometimes obvious.

I only let myself have three bricks, knowing I could all-too-easily get trapped into buying way too many -- a solid one, one with white, and one with black. Unfortunately, I don't live in the green brick universe. I keep all three of them in my hand-gathered box, but as a category in themselves -- not with my MFCs or my Akros. 'Cause I don't know which they are, although I suspect MFC. But I've never seen in person the only for-sure-MFC bricks I know of, which are Michael Cahill's (the photos in Cahill's book are not great). Oh -- and those moss agate bricks. Nobody else made those. And I know that Akro had seven of MFC's formulas for bricks -- they're in Henry Hellmers' batch book as opaque carnelians and are attributed to Horace C. Hill. So any distinguishing features might have to be the gather pattern or the cut-off area? As opposed to the glass? Dunno. Does anybody have a working theory?

I'm behind Door Number Two. Ever since my not-religious parents dragged me out of bed one night when I was about seven years old, stuffed me in the Pontiac, and roared off to the town bypass -- maybe two miles out into the eastern N.C. countryside -- jerked me out of the car, sat me on the roof, and said "LOOK!" while pointing at the sky, and I looked, and saw unimaginably huge curtains of red light rippling across the sky . . . Well. It probably should have been terrifying, but it wasn't. It was awe-inspiring. And, as Bob suggests, I liked the way it made my brain feel. I still do. If I had any facility for math, I would today be a retired astrophysicist. But I don't. So for decades I've relied on those people who are but can also 'splain theory to idiots like me. Theory I can follow. Words, not numbers. But NOW it's gotten a little scary. But I still try to go there regularly. Just to keep some perspective on things. Go, Bob!

Those look interesting - - - do you have a close-up of one? Brightly lit? I'd love to see it . . .

To me it looks like the lovely product of an Indian that slipped off to meet a lady onionskin for a nooner . . . Anyway, it should never have been polished. How could . . . never mind . . .

Don't think I would go so far as to say slags. I think of them more as early solid-color hand-gathered Akros rather than slags. But that may be just me.

And something not . . .

Something round . . .

Me too.

They look like ones I have that are hand-gathered dug Akros. I don't have the teal, but I have three of the purple ones. In a sharp raking light you can see the very fine striations that give them a satin-y look in some places -- apparently a consequence of their burial at that particular site. It's most noticeable on the teal one in your photos, although on the last photo you get a hint of it on the purple, too. It's usually very hard to photograph -- good job.

Snot agates?? Any kin to CAC's "snotties?" Eeewwww.

Here's another one (from LOM)

I find that to be the very best guide.

Oh yes, that is a very, very nice one, Winnie! I'm not sure about the colors on mine -- there are distinct areas on the yellow ribbons that seem to be beige, and other places that tilt towards orange. Easier to see in the first pic because in the second one the white ribbon dominates so much. How much (if any) the variation was intended and how much accidental I have no idea. There are also traces of that weird crumbly / sparkly stuff you sometimes see in orange/white ones (like the top right one in your "Doesn't Fit" category). But since there isn't a distinctly different color involved (green or blue, for example), I can live with "Type 1." Although the "Doesn't Fit" category is OK too!

I miss Clyde. He was very helpful to me on a couple of occasions. Since you confirmed my suspicions about the marbles -- and they were Clyde's -- I'd suggest that they are of the up-in-the-air type metalshelf discussed above. Once thought to be early Christensen Agate, now frustratingly slippery. I love them, and the whole time I've been collecting I've only managed to corner two -- one, a lucky find in the wild (red on yellow) and one painfully purchased from Alan B. (orangey red on deep blue/purple). Enjoy them!

Galen knows how to fly a kite???

This one is far more like mine -- very "solid" looking as opposed to looking like AV flakes suspended in transparent. Can't see a surface pattern here though.

Meanwhile . . . What do you think about this one posted by I'llhavethat1 in the color-of-the-month thread (#435)?

Oooooo . . .

Anything resembling a nine-and-tail? (The colors seem right for the ones metalshelf is talking about -- and in the pics it looks like each may have a small straight-ish crease, or line pontil . . .)

I've certainly fallen victim to art glass marbles in the past. Ummm. Also the very recent past.

My favorite type 1 - - -

Let me just say that I appreciate having a kind of order imposed on wirepulls -- yes, thanks Winnie! Your type 3, colored ribbon in a transparent colorless base = I only have white ones and yellow ones too, except for one that looks like it should light up under UV, but doesn't. I have a hard time calling it yellow, when my other yellow ones are very much either mustard yellow or a pure straight lemon / canary yellow. The color in the pic is accurate . . .

In marboman's pics of a Champion, there's more apparent variation in color than in the ones I have. And the particles don't look as small as those in mine . . . I'll see if I can't find a picture somewhere.