Steph

The contest rules said "In presenting to our juvenile customers this beautiful new line of marbles, we have been at a loss to find a suitable name to describe them, therefore we will put it up to our boy and girl friends to give this new marble a name." But in the end they ignored that part. Awarded the money but didn't use the winning name, or not for these marbles. Kept calling the marbles Prize Name. Funny choice! Akro does have a Fire Opal of course. Were they thinking of young Paul Chadbourne when they named those?

Good one!

Bobbie Seese's is soooo pretty. edit: Didn't see the dragon yet! that's great!

Awesome!!!!!

oooohweeeeeee!

???????

Ray ... I was kinda hoping you'd add your pump balls. ( :

LOL - I tried to bring it back to MFC! I thought I did a good job! Maybe even subtle. And here you send us exotic again. hehe.

Pretty sure the MFC palette was made at MFC. I'm also under the impression that it was intentionally kept simple. Until Horace Hill absconded to Akro with the glass recipes and plans for the machines, there wasn't much competition for MFC's marbles. And then WWI struck and closed MFC's doors before Akro had much time to get things right and really make things hard on MFC if I understand correctly

great examples everyone!

I'm guessing that 5/8" was the more common size. But that's only a guess based on what I think I know about production from other companies. Anyone?

I think they might. I've moved this to the main forum so more people will see it and maybe comment. There's still a link in the buy-sell-trade forum.

Unzipped ... don't know what to say ...... interesting to hear about the lack of 9's. That's going to raise the hope in the hearts of people with turquoise marbles. Funny, I don't think I've ever heard anyone hoping that they had an Oriental Jade. For some reason it's the Persian Turquoise people seem to want theirs to be.

It's art.

Some of them look like Tom Thornburgh marbles which may have been roughed up a little. Some just look flat out _wrong_. Looking for more Thornburgh examples in closer colors. I'm not that familiar with his palette. But here's this for starters: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/2547336

Not mine, Rich. The pix are donated.

I forgot about this thread. Here's an update which I mentioned in another thread when I stumbled onto the Boys' Lifes at Google Books. (What is the plural of Boys' Life?) Apparently the winning name was Fire Opal. Not sure how that related to corkscrews but ..... Announced two months later than expected: http://books.google.com/books?id=secyNQckEqMC&pg=PA53

Thanks for posting, David, so it won't look quite so conspicuous when I post again. More MFC's presumably (while I'm in the neighborhood): (click to enlarge - might need to double click for full size)

Here's the second. Again larger copies are available. These views are photos of a high quality 11" x 15" reproduction of an original poster owned by Bob Geis. Bob still has copies for sale, two-sided on heavy stock for $10 plus postage if you are interested. Contact RHGeis(at)Venable(dot)com .

Just as long as they're not groper marbles. Or then I'd have to call the copper marbles. Those bags are way too cool, Ron.

Here's one to start. Another might be coming. Big download. Trusting that it's large enough for most to read. A larger size is available. . . (Here's a bigger copy, about a meg download, might need to double click for full size) [edit: photobucket changed things -- it's still larger if you use the magnifying feature -- but photobucket won't let you see full size unless you download]

NOW she tells me!

The Morphy auction description said, "Last is an original mesh bag with 50 original glass marbles distributed by Grouper Marbles." Do you think this is a typo? Is that a Gropper bag? Who made the marbles inside?

A persian turquoise and what I'm guessing is an oriental jade in what appear to be their natural habitat. ( :

Look at those guineas!!!!!!!!!!! And that green polka dotty thing ... wow.