david Chamberlain

Are they cold and maybe a little heavier. I'll tell you what, they actually look like painted and kiln fired pottery marbles. The fact that the four are each different(color and such) makes me less inclined to think of them as mineral ALTHOUGH there are some minerals that do have this textured appearance. You getting the idea here that I have no idea!? David

While a good small (2 doubleAA) Mag-Lite is definitely a must with back-up bulb and batteries you would be a hit with a lot of room sales people if you did a roving concession with 100 Watt Bulbs. I kid you not! I have been in more hotel rooms where there is nothing larger than a 60. Marbles need light! Hey! Bring those ugly marbles; they're getting a premium these days, in fact, there's such a maudlin love fest going on in another thread over them that it's getting downright carnal! Actually, bring $bucks$ because you will succumb.....guaranteed! Also those monsters of the Marble Boards that come thundering into your computer become totally transformed into %^&***cats at the show. Oh yeah, extra socks*.....David Edit.: I guess I should have said Teddy Bears! *As BigJohn says the mibs will knock your socks off!

Hi Stacy, I just happened to be here and caught your Post and Pic coming in. I believe it is perfectly acceptable to enquire about marble values. Re. condition: It is critical. What you're working with here is glass and marbles just like any other glass object can be affected highly by the slightest chip, ding, you name it. Often just a single small subsurface 'moon' will at the very least half the potential value of a marble. It is easy to overlook these things because the darn things are so small....well in most cases. If the marble warrants concern/interest and you want to be absolutely sure about its condition I would suggest viewing it with a 10x magnification. Anything higher gets scary! There appear to be some likely prospects amongst the array of marbles you have spread out here although I cannot from these two distant shots even begin to properly identify. Well, maybe some but they are not high-flyers, so-to-speak. There's some in the middle shadows that are intriguing but I just can't be definite. You will get a lot of help here from a variety of people but it will probably require homing in on certain areas of your larger photos or just introducing them in smaller groupings. Oh, eBay. I am not one to ask but it runs pro and con. It's a jungle out there on eBay! For the record, the Hay Day for machine-made marbles(which is what you have) was during the 1930's/1940's/1950's And some of us would actually say that in recent years it is happening again but that is another story. Good Luck, David

Amazing! David

Yeah, the ID section about 14 Threads down and sub titled: "Helping my Daughter with Identification" or something like that. All the pictures you'd ever care to see of this one in pics #1-4. David

Nah, the marble in pics. 1-4 is the same marble that Nancy has shown elsewhere in another thread and in multiple pictures. The marble in pic 5 in the same is the one in pic 6 and 7 and entirely different than the one in pics. 1-4 except for the fact that it is similar but not as pretty at least by my accounts. The marble in pics 1-4 has been around on the Board for a few days at least. Probably over in the ID section but I can't remember which titled Thread. Heck I've been posting on four different Boards lately and I'm lucky if I know where I am from one minute to the next. David

Here's what I understand is the straight skinny on the photos in Post #1. The first four photos are the same marble. The last three marbles are another marble. That's it. The first four photos are the marble we have been seeing all along and only here in Post #1 has this similar marble(Pics #5-7) been posited. David

Killer Caged Cat. Love the color. Is the color that appears to permeate the marble in the vanes or is it the matrix of the marble? David

This marble is one nemesis. Now there's two of them. Yikes! The one on the left has been troubling me for a few days now. It puts out contemporary vibes with that semi-swirling action evident in the first photo but I just can't imagine anyone, even a non-marble person, tossing this out. It is so cool. So I'm going with Fancy Bennington and a particularly charming variety. I like it! David

May we have a pregnant pause......David

Anything I've heard and seen that's garnered the moniker 'clown' would apply to this one. David

Hi Gene, I think right now it's just you and I. I suppose that will change after a while. It seems to me that action has slowed down a bit lately on the Board. Maybe not enough people getting hyped on caffeine. I'm a one cup at a time person Melitta style and one cup period. Maybe ice coffee in the evening if early enough and generally only in the summer. David

Whoa! Am I going to walk on my knees with a marble bag up to his front door. We don't get kids in this neighborhood for some reason; not even trucked in. In the 1990s I'd prepare little zip lock bags with about 10 relatively common but identified marbles (Even Ravenswoods!) but I'd have in bold Letters NOT CANDY! I suppose it was taking a risk but if the kid was extremely small I'd clue the parents in who would generally be in the shadows. Never wound up in a law suit! David

m!b$, check MarbleMansion's Post 6 and you'll figure out my 'nasal spray' comment. I actually thought it was rather witty. By the way, I sent another email as I am totally perplexed! David

That figures! Landon is one of the last of the nice guys and his collection of machine made and hand made pee wees was extraordinary. I sold him the marbles shown on my business card a few years ago. You reminded me to ring him up; it has been a while. David

The Striped Transparent Pee Wee is one to write home about! David

Without Catalogs or daily production sheets I don't think some of these will ever be fully figured out. David

I don't know but what we might need nasal spray. David

Just a warning on the one that has piqued your interest. It is a Vacor de Mexico replica; basically a paler version of the Peltier Marble Co. Superman. A lot of people have spent a lot of money on this marble supposing it otherwise. Your last marble pictured is interesting. Undoubtedly Vacor; it has all the appearances of a Vacor. Great color combination. I wouldn't mind a bag of them for $3! Most of the individually pictured marbles are Vacor. The three you point out in the cello bag appear to be Jabo while the others largely appear to be Vitro. David

O.K. I've got the full picture. Conveniently she currently finds me as an ally. I believe this will give me all the more leverage when she fails to come straight with her and with my own personal report to eBay. Obviously I've been a little naive by not being a regular on eBay and observing her every move. Out of here for a couple days.....Santa Fe Opera (Madame Butterfly and The Magic Flute) Thurs. and Fri. ngts. David

Just got another message from Tammy and she intends to eliminate the word "Vintage" in her titles. She also told me that the truly rude and abusive messages continue to be received by her, in fact, she got one within the past hour. I'm afraid that some of us are incapable of half measures. David

Hi Sue, I have heard from Tammy and I have responded to her again but I didn't touch on the "Vintage" problem. I'm sure I will hear from her again and I will bring it up then. Twice now I have told her that it would enhance her sales if she were to run by the Marble Connection ID Board doubtful marbles. I also let her know that in the field of marbles we are not immune to jerks who straight out of the shoot shower abuse rather than attempt to reach an understanding. I'm hardly immune to it myself at times particularly where the example is so blatant. I told her frankly that her current 1" marble is blatantly misidentified, that it is clearly a contemporary hand made and that what she is pointing out at a pontil is rather pathetic damage conveniently right where a pontil might occur if the marble ever had one which is hasn't. I did not pull any punches. Oh, I also pointed out that numerous of her marbles shown as previous sales are riven with difficulties for most people with a modicum of marble knowledge. So, we will see.....David

That's been my limited experience with German Sparklers as well Winnie; they have a tighter configuration whereas this marble you first pictured is totally helter-skelter. Got any extras? David

For some strange reason I do not have that "Ask Question" under her name in that area but I scrolled down to the very bottom of the page and did find a "Question Not Listed" or something like that box and was able to successfully send her a message letting her know that she might consider listing some of her marbles that she wasn't sure about(as stated in her description) at Marble Connection in the ID section as people were generally very helpful there whereas presently her current listing and past marble sales were receiving ridicule. I also emphasized that if she continued with such obviously misidentified marbles that more and more people would be reporting her to the Dept. of eBay concerned with fraudulent offerings. I also provided a few personal credentials to let her know that I didn't just fall off the potato cart. And I pointedly let her know that her marble was new but refrained from saying anything about the "pontil." David P.S. What else could I have done?

That is a scrumptious marble. I don't know but what it actually exhibits more feathery vane characteristics than the European Sparklers we are use to seeing. So I'd consign it to the cat's-eye category. Of course, from early on, and especially promulgated in Castle & Peterson's book strictly on cat's-eye marbles they introduced the heresy that certain otherwise established marbles(Sparklers, Sunsets and such) might more properly be categorized as cat's-eye marbles due to the manufacturing process. Scary! David