david Chamberlain

Sat. April 11, '09 Hello again, I really thought I'd provided an addendum to this wonderful thread of Ravenswood photographs by Alan but it doesn't seem to be here. I'll try again cause I do have some comments. From coarsing through and sorting and resorting Ravenswood marbles from the 50 lb. boxes out of the 1987 find I find most all of the images provided above authentic Ravenswood marbles. I have been humbled though over time in discovering that some of my judgements have been too circumscribed by an over reliance on this find alone. My sights have become broadened since this early immersion. There's Ravenswood marbles out there that don't look anything like what I've come to accept. That aside, I have to say that the photo(s) of the few flame-like Ravenswoods depicted unfortunately or fortunately are actually Alley Agate. I've a made-up boxed set of 30 AA flames that I'm constantly upgrading. I believe the "cafe-au-lait" lighter brown Ravenswood shown are in fact a purposeful separate variety. I also find them worthy. I have seen enough of them in the 50 lb. boxes to deduce this. Actually, I've been over time to put together sets of approximately 13 different brown\ varieties, granted some of which were practically one or two or three of a kind. Anyway, over time I was able to only make up about 5 such sets. I consider them premiere Ravenswood marbles! The cobalt blue one shown I do not believe is rare. I've enough of them to I think disprove this conclusion. Actually two varieties of cobalt blue ones: Dramatically Cobalt blue and largely clear w/cobalt blue stringy strands. I have found only one variety with what coulod be called oxblood and it is in a common translucent Ravenwood swirl but I have only found a very few to have the oxblood in them. It is mainly subsurface and consists of very thin and light hairlike strands. You have to look hard but the only conclusion is that it is oxblood. They're exceedingly rare. I think I know the chap that Alan was buying from. He was famous for his box collection which unfortunately due to illness in the family he put up for sale last year. Nice guy. He and his wife would attend Amana and I met him first at Columbus. Can't think of his name right now. O.K. I do provide a set of 33 different Ravenswood marbles from this 1987 find in WV. They are the real McCoy and include practically all the varieties shown here as well as those shown in Castle & Peterson. I sold Larfry & Marlow a 50 lb. box at an early Los Angeles Marble Show! If interested you may make enquiries at dlc mib @ Yahoo.....you know how it goes. Or call (831) 462-1983. I have a deep affection for Ravenswood Marbles. Marilyn Barrett who wrote "Aggies, Immies, Shooters & Swirls" (1994) carried with her a jar of Ravenswood marbles for people to guess the number of marbles during Book Signings. I have donated something like 150 of those marbles from the jar for the Ravenswood Cemetary Marble Monument. It was an honor to have Marilyn's book dedicated to me. Hope this has fleshed out the article/photos above and added some depth to it. David Chamberlain

Thurs. April 9, '09 1PM Yes, what a lengthy thread. Me thinks a few alley marbles were missidentified as Ravenswood but otherwise a fine representation. When visiting Patry back then and seeing those particular marbles she obtained from Elaine King I had my doubts. They look very much like certain Champion marbles that I purchased from Charlie Stutsman during the early 1990s. He dug them out from collapsed boxes underneith the structure! I am still doubtful about those. But for anyone who has a keen interest in Ravenswood marbles from this great find in West Virginia in 1987 I still have them in spades even after selling a 50 lb. box to Marlow Peterson and Larry Castle. I regularly offer a set of 33 different bonifide Ravenswood marbles with serious\ provenance. Make enquiries to me at dlcmib at yahoo.com. .....David Chamberlain

Thurs. April 9, 2009 12:30PM On this 'Blue' subject I'm mainly referencing some of Alan's offerings. And, of course, the group of Akro Red & Royal Blues are bluerific. I think for the general marble community it would help if you also affixed a marble ID to each of your fine photos. By the way, whose SUPERMAN marbles? They look a little different than what Scott Patrick or John Hamen Miller might have made. Really, a 1 1/4" Popeye! That has to ring in big time at the cash register! Finally, I have never seen so many half 'n' halfs, your box with seven rows of seven. I'm assuming that they are for real half 'n' halfs, little brothers to the larger Akro half 'n' half. The correct shade of those two colors are critical. They look legit to me! Anyway I couldn't help commenting on those in particular. Too many others to consider. David Chamberlain

Thurs. April 9th '09 10:30 AM RE. Jabo "mylee" Run -Please excuse me if this is a duplication becuase I believe I just accidentally caused it to go into the trash whilst attempting to scroll down the screen in an effort to add this/reply. I really do not know what I'm doing. I want to bring some clarification to the usage of the name "mylee" as it relates to a specific marble. For sometime(years) Dave McCullough has wanted to pull off a Red, White & Blue marble. Call it patriotic fervor. Actually some time in the past year I proposed the same to him letting him know a R,W&Blue marble w/mica would be totally cool. In 1989-'90 I commissioned David Salazar to make me some Peppermint Swirls. I had Peppermint Swirl examples from over a doz. different contemporary marble makers during the early 1990s. So, when during the March 5th Tribute to Friendship Run he did indeed accomplish a 3/4" Red, White & Blue w/ mica marble the immediate thought was to give it serious name recognition. Thus the name Mylee. That was clearly established. Now I do not know the inner machinations occuring with this latest run but I felt for the purposes of clarification I should bring to the attention of all that quite legitimately(and how more legitimate than withe Dave Mc- Cullough's sanction could it be) a marble has already been named after his granddaughter Mylee. Thank you for considering these nomenclature facts, David Chamberlain

April 9th, 2009 10AM Thankfully someone saw fit to provide a spam filter to the posting of my email address. I only rec'd 24 emails during my first two days of operation, all relatively benign and after that it dropped off to a reasonable few. .....David Chamberlain