Steph

*blush* Thanks guys! I get a lot of help. But would always welcome more input. I guess I should call Rick to learn about the exotics. But I'm intimidated by the subject and am glad to be an observer for now!

That's an odd looking wrap but very interesting. So interesting that I might not have posted it here. Might have hoped it would go under the radar. I'm not going to bid you out of it but doesn't mean I wasn't tempted. If only to have a look at what it really is.

I found a 1977 article which called them Spirals. (link) But that didn't turn out to be independent. It was by Mark Randall who co-authored Greenberg's so we already knew about his preferred term.

They're at least interesting. If people don't recognize them because they're so rare, then you might want to hang onto them because they're so rare. Make a copy of the auction listing and store it with them. If people don't recognize them because we're just not thinking straight ... then sorry! lol You might end up thinking it was one of the best buys you made! Or not. Nothing ventured nothing gained, huh? But they are nice and colorful. And I still like them! My 2 cents! Congrats on the scholarship.

I have no sense of humor! ... but my goal was no loftier than narrowing in on the decade.

The 1989 MCSA price guide calls them corkscrews. A mint 5/8" corkscrew would average about 40 cents. There aren't many entries for machine mades that year. (Cool to see evidence in print of what we latecomers always hear about when machine mades started coming into their own. ) In Greenberg's I see a reference to a 1985 MCSA guide. Were corkscrews listed in that?

Bob said he recalled that name from the early 1970's. It was used by Randall and Webb in Greenberg's Guide in 1988. Sounds like they were most comfortable with the name "spiral" but also that they were aware of the name "corkscrew" being used somewhere else. They have a section called Spirals and they use that name throughout but they say "corkscrews" twice that I can see. First is in a caption under a photo from the J. Fred Early Collection which says "Selection of Akro Agate spirals (corkscrews) in a wide range of body color and striping." Second is in the value table where they say "SPIRALS OR CORKSCREWS". (edit: is that a value table? I think so but there is something odd about the entries. it's on p. 50 whatever it is)

I'm not sure yet. Still studying the trail.

AMMM = American Machine-Made Marbles. It seems that you may have gotten some of your information from that but you mentioned "books" plural so I wondered what else you may have been using. I've bought 3 marble-related books this past month so my budget is strapped but I'd probably find some way to buy another if it told more about Israel. ( : Just using AMMM if I were to have guessed that it was some geometry-savvy Akro employee who came up with the nickname corkscrew, I might have guessed John Early. AMMM left me with the impression that Early was more involved in design and manufacture than Israel. I got the idea that Israel was more into the business side. Just my impression.

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww so cute

I didn't think you were saying he was the only employee. I thought you might be saying he was only AN employee. So I was doublechecking. I'm also curious about some of the other things you said, such as the time frame you might be operating under for which patches were made when at Akro but I didn't ask because that would be getting quite tangential. From American Machine-Made Marbles: "The Master Marble Company was organized in the Grasselli district of Clarksburg, West Virginia, by three longtime employees of Akro Agate: Clinton F. Israel, Claude C. Grimmett, and John E. Moulton." No, but that's okay. You're right. But I just wanted to understand what all you were saying about Israel. If you have more material about Israel than AMMM and would care to share I would appreciate that. If not then that's okay. Peace, etc.

p.s., I said owned Master because that was easier than saying "Was a cofounder of Master Marble and eventually owned Master Glass outright". Are you under the impression that he was only an employee at Master Marble, not an owner? Not clear on what technicalities you were trying to convey there.

nice!!!

Why do you believe he came up with the "corkscrew" nickname?

Aw, Ray. Hope you still get pleasure from your Christensen peewees.

I don't see purple! I kinda see copper and dark brown? Am I seeing it wrong?

Aaaaargh. Jealousy is such an ugly emotion. Bad Stephanie!!! (sweet box of mibs. )

I thought I knew that. But suddenly I don't feel sure about it. Did Akro make bricks? If so, what did they call them?

Me too. And they're in the salesman sample cases. http://i119.photobuc...lerboxes007.jpg (big pic, might need to double click for full)

Bump in case anyone can elaborate/corroborate ..... or just has other ideas.

They don't look modern to me. And they don't look like Champion to me. I obviously don't know enough about Alley to say they're not. I'm willing to take Ray's word unless Ron or Ric or someone like that disagrees. It would be cool to hear from them though. Here's the description from the auction, where Ray mentions the metallic spots, etc.

here's the auction pic for future reference since they're rather unusual:

Thanks Edna. ( :

That's pretty interesting isn't it. Chuck B suggests that people take that ad with a grain of salt. If I'm not mistaken that warning translates monetarily into something like this: Marbles with the wide black ribbon around the middle might command more money than an obvious all-red with a thin black line but not as much money as the obvious yellow-jackets with green or blue ribbons. And what about the ones with the white equator? Were those different in any way from the ones sold in All-Red bags?

Some call this a strip tease.