david Chamberlain

Personally I'd give it all up for the second row #s 3 & 4. David

I'm really hoping to take that as humor rather than a seriously registered vote! David

Oh that is very good! David

That's a lot different than any pink Benningtons I've ever seen. Kinda mottled. Pink is good! David

I doubt that it's going anywhere as well and most people aren't into the more refined aspects of marble production or have a handle on the more esoteric descriptions for CAC Flame Swirls. So, it's probably harmless. Just so we don't start a discussion as to how many exaggeratedly stretched Onionskin frits qualify it for flame stature! Let's see, that would be three? David

Yes it does look flamey. And there are numerous other marbles that do as well. I do though get a little nervous when I see an established marble characteristic (CAC Flame) being misapplied to an established hand made marble (Onionskin). Only confusion can reign. The machine made production of flames has been clearly established by certain machine manipulations and the frit stretching in Onionskins has been clearly established by hand manipulation.....or something to that effect and never the twain shall meet. David

You're on! I've actually done a couple separate Toys for Tots contributions this season in a couple of the clubs where I'm a member. Wal-Mart has those big, partially metal Dump Trucks on sale @ $20 each. They are impressive! David

Well, I'll be hog-tied! David

I think all we need to do to add to the general confusion that exists out there is to being applying the sacrosanct 'Flame' designation to Onionskins. Next thing you know we will be imagining double-ended flames, pin-striping, striations and so forth. I can actually imagine us counting flaring finger flames in Onionskins. Yikes! David

Unless I've been left out in the dark the 'latest' book was Larry Castle's & Marlow Peterson's book MARBLES THE GUIDE TO CAT'S-EYE MARBLES (1998) ISBN: #0-9624185-3-6 Out-of-Print! But with that info. you might come across a stray copy in one of the Web Stores. I might add that I did a follow-up lengthy photographic addendum to the book of 87 photographs and descriptions that can be accessed at Marble Mental in the back pages (Way back!) or better yet in the Article Archives at AAMs. Unfortunately I cannot access at either Board as I am Banned at both. I'm always operating on thin ice so it would seem. DAVID

Thanks Big John. I am going to study this over the coming year. First though since my printer is out of Ink Cartridges I will write down each of the ten steps so that I won't have to go back 'n' forth in an effort to remember what the next step is considering my limited mental memory bank(s). I really can talk the talk but when it comes to the hands on tech side I am well nigh useless. Put me out in the wood shed hand sawing and splitting wood I can go for hours but present me with computer technicalities and I go into lock down. I am duly impressed with your Lesson Plan. David

Got another email from the fellow and he's sending me add'l close-up photos. He bought one of the End of Day marbles from Alan and the others he picked up at antique shops/events where he lives nr. the border of Switzerland and Germany and they were in groups of other obviously antique marbles. He also stated that there is no market for contemporary marbles where he lives. I'll email the email to you; that much I actually know how to do! I suggested that he Post the add'l photos directly to the Marble Board because it appears that he has been enjoying our back 'n' forth about the auction. The guy sounds like a straight shooter. I did tell him that the only problem he is probably going to have is in the area of condition definition. David

Here is how bad it is for me Nancy....... First I have no "usual!" Second "drag it to my desk top?" What's my desk top? Where is it? I don't even know if I have a photo or graphic editing program. I suppose I'll have to ask someone. This is exceedingly embarrassing as you can see I don't know dick. I suppose I really should take some Adult School Computer 101 Course. On this one pic though be not dismayed because it's kind of crappy for what I wanted to see. Again, "Upload as usual?" I have never uploaded! David

O.K. I got a picture of the eight End of Day marbles pontils-up but the photo is blurry and/or the pontil is somewhat indistinguishable. Seven of these have what I would describe as English colors. Either that or bright contemporary colors. Re. condition he says: "Most bigger swirls and Onion Skins have some dings or smaller hits. Most of these marbles came from auctions and dealers and were described in the range between near mint and mint. But this is always a point of view. But if you are really looking for absolutely flawless marbles then you would probably be disappointed." Ron The guy sounds sincere. I'm betwixt and between on what I can or cannot see in the pontil picture. They are either impossible to see or there are three that look very much alike and there's one that for all appearances is perfectly legit. As stated....bad photo. David

I've asked for pontil photos of the eight End of Day marbles and he has stated that he is at max on eBay photos and also cannot remove a photo to add another but he is emailing me photo(s). I also asked how many actually have dings and/or hits and he only gave me figures for the eight End of Days so I repeated the request for the lot. Will provide particulars when I receive them but I have no idea how to transfer an email picture to a Post here at Marble Connection. Anyone care to guide me through that? If you can do that figure I am computer stupid! David

Whereas the Description states all are Mint or NM it appears that the seller has backed off considerable from that in the Question boxes by admitting that numerous ones have dings and hits. I suspect whoever gets this unless they are not terribly discerning will have a painful experience examining marble after marble. And the seller also states that he has never looked at his marbles with a magnifying glass in addition to being rather squishy on the matter of what Mint means. This appears to be a troublesome auction. I wouldn't touch it with a twelve foot pole. David

I suppose I was a little demonstrative in my comment and Ditto Head with Alan; I just have a thing about traditional/historical handmade definitions and characteristics. David

Great bold pattern. Even has a flame tip! Is that a couple shades of green including Forest Green? Nice. And nifty description. David

I don't think keeping a collection together should ever be the primary motive. You never know what the buyer is instantly going to do so your intentions can immediately go out the window. Do you really think it's an in its entirety intact collection? Better chance that it's a purposely presented group. I'd still be interested in some comments re. the End of Days. Other than the uncommon Sulphides those should be the money marbles and they look 'different.' Would appreciate comments about them by someone like Lloyd.....David

I'm curious......with all those Sulphides including the 17 uncommon ones you'd think there would be at least one sulphide with color. I'd be interested in hearing comments regarding the End of Day marbles. To me they have a contemporary cast to them but then I'm not terribly familiar with high end End of Day marbles. Needless to say this is out of my $league$.....David

The machine made term flame just can't be translated to onionskins. It ain't happening! I'm all for finding the unusual in a marble but there's a perfectly reasonable handmade explanation for what is happening here and Alan has pretty much covered it. David

I'm helpless on your downloading concerns but re. packaging I think I have it together. If the marbles are of significant consequence individually then I'd have each one in a separate zip lock bag, then the group wrapped in bubble wrap + additionally a small paper bag before putting snugly in the Priority Box. But if the marbles are of no great significants then put all of them together in a zip lock bag which is snugly bubble wrapped and then put into a small paper bag to go into the Priority Box. I do know that it is a drawn out drag to peel off reams of scotch tape that generally rips the bubble wrap and requires repeated rippings to get to two or three marbles and then have to do it repeatedly with 10 or more similar pkgs. of two or three marbles. You do have access don't you to the small zip lock bags that are something like 1 1/2" by 1 1/2" or 2" by 2". These zip lock bags are a Godsend for marble people. David

They would be pretty smooth anyway, they're a plastic. Hard to imagine handwork in a material of this nature. Be interesting to know what game they might have been used in. Although I said they were a cut above wooden marbles I'd put their value quite a few cuts above wooden marbles. They're seldom seen and they are rather neat; it's still hard to credit them as marbles in the full sense of the word. David

Some of the ones in back look like a planet with water seen from space. David

It's all in a word.......'Estate!' So many sellers use it, rightly or not, as it lends some mystical aura to otherwise humdrum items. David