Steph

While I'm at it, how about some Buttermilks?

Here's Bob's pic from Chuck's article at Joe's website to get things started.

And oh yes, Chuck's description:

Buttermilks have a red band on one side, a parallel red/blue band on the other side and a translucent buttermilk yellow base, sometimes with white. Buttermilks vary considerably in color and design. The blue sometimes darkens towards indigo, especially on the shooters. The smaller buttermilks tend to have ribbons and many of the shooters swirl significantly.

Thanks.

Okay , , , here's Chuck's description.

The colors of Aquamarines are aqua (or teal) blue, a creamy tan and a dark transparent red. (See Photo #3) Aquamarines range from swirls with appealing rip lines to patches.

I guess my question is how does that translate visually. Are the examples I've been seeing of late people pushing the boundaries because they want to think they have aquamarines when they don't? Or have I been too strict in my interpretation? Trying to sort that out. Thanks.

For an example, I've seen some called aquamarines where the base seemed rather close to being white. What's the range of base color which is 'allowed', or considered desireable. What's desireable in the patches? Stuff like that.

Thanks again. -s

Thanks for the help with Superiors. Next on the checklist is Aquamarines. What is their range of variation?

I think of their "textbook" description as this which Smitty posted about them at Marble Mental. Smitty's wife is the one who named the Aquamarines.

Originally it was "aqua/maroon" but that seemed confusing and was short lived and changed to aquamarine.............There are going to be slight variations in color and I don't think there is anything carved into stone as to what qualifies. I just wanted to shed some light as to what "we" call Aquamarines.

They are generally opaque with a cream color base and somewhat of an aqua patch and also a maroonish/brown patch.

Here's Bob B's famous Aquamarine photo, as seen in Chuck B's Tri-Lites article, OLDER VITRO MARBLES (TRI-LITES). This photo has been presented as quintessential Aquamarines. Lately though I've seen some mibs being called Aquamarines which seem quite a bit different. So I was wondering how far other collectors feel comfortable taking the name.

Here's a box from one of Marblealan's auctions. Popeye marbles are named after the box. They're not the only marble style which was sold in the Popeye boxes. They're in the boxes a lot though and won the name.

Their real name to Akro back in the 30's was Tri-Onyx Agates.

(click pix to enlarge)

p.s., here's a close-up of two marbles from that box. One is a true popeye patch - a marble which was meant to be a cork but didn't get spun.

(click to enlarge)

I'll trade you a Wisconsin beach.

http://marbles.yuku.com/

That's why I asked! Superiors SEEM like they should be easier, but they've been sort of slippery!

I need to learn more about Vitro Superiors. They don't seem like they should be too hard but I'm kinda cautious with Vitro names for some reason. Here's the "textbook" photo, where the "textbook" is Chuck B.'s article in the WVMCC newsletter about older Vitros. The article is now hosted at Joemarbles.com: OLDER VITRO MARBLES (TRI-LITES)

Would love to see more pix of Superiors to get a better feel for how much they can vary. Thanks!

(Would also like to see the range of variation of the other styles mentioned in that article, but will wait for another thread for that.)

Check this out at Google Books. 1920's and 1930's Akro promos in Boys' Life magazine. I'd seen a few of them before but nowhere near this many.

I have a lot of reading to do! Lots of notes to take! Tri-colors were touted as a new line in January 1931, for instance. (Earlier than I once thought.)

I'm in heaven. Hope everyone else has as good a day/weekend as I'm going to.

About 30 issues

A coupla notes:

Mr. Akro Talks About Marbles - booklet advertised in Feb. '29. Not sure I've seen that booklet, at least not with that cover.

The Prize Name contest winners WERE announced. Supposed to have been published in June 1930 - that's what contest announcements had said. I have the June 1930 Boys' Life. Not there. The August issue explains why and gives the winners. The winning name was Fire Opal.

Corky is nice.

Red Sparklers:

The New Adventures of Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, by George Randolph Chester, in Cosmopolitan, 1914

Appears they cost a nickel apiece at the store.

Woohoo, best spotted dick photo I've ever seen. Hands down!

I think you will be receiving in this thread some estimates as to their individual values.

Maybe in this thread , , , maybe not. . . *she smiles archly*

I bet there are a lot of people who would like to get a chance to bid on this but who might be afraid to tip their hand and show their interest too soon.

And Sue's goodie posted in another thread today ...

I'm sure going to have a hard time calling a small marble a parrot. I think I'll be late in adopting that, if I ever do.

If the goal was 1" then how could a 5/8" marble be a contender? It takes a different machine to make a 5/8" marble, right?

I've been hesitant over the parakeet name for a long time because I'd heard it used for different things - like the tiger eyes - and I was waiting for that name to kinda settle down in my mind.

Now, thanks to this thread, I think I do understand it.

And right now I like it better than parrot for the smaller marbles. I mean, if the goal was for the parrots to be big . . . then that should get the name . . . seems like. . I only have the one parrot, but half the excitement of getting that one was measuring it and seeing that it passed muster in the size department. lol

So, that's my "for what it's worth" from a parrot novice. But it's where I'm at right now.

I think I need a dancing banana!

CAC cobra tank wash marble. That must be a first,wait until Dave M. heres that!

*giggle*

I'm with the others. Kinda in shock, and waiting to see what the big CAC guns think.

Here's a small box I asked about awhile back, also with Chrissies in it. It's the same stained glass pattern.

Not my box! It was in a Morphy auction.

Here's the thread where I asked. It has some discussion about the use of stained glass boxes in the late 20's, early 30's. Colorful Jobber Boxes

I won't be hanging out my shingle as an appraiser any time soon. ;-)

I sent these photos to "Marblealan" yesterday... Told Alan I purchased this mib as being a "Vitro Pink Elite Parakeet"... He said he had never heard that description before... However the style of marble he has seen before but was unable to put a name to them such as (Tiger Eye, Conquerer, Helmet, etc)... Alan could not confirm what kind of Vitro it is... Hmmmm

Not every marble has a name. But people want names. That's another cause of imaginative names. There's an appetite for them.

I'll go ahead and add my best guess for what your marble is. My best guess is that it is a marble which Vitro would have called a Tri-Lite in the 1930's. And then some collectors in the 2000's would have called it an Elite, "Elite" being a name for particularly colorful Tri-Lites.

That's my guess. If I'm wrong, I'll live.

Pen, my understanding is that Parrots are a white-based marble and the goal of the creators was to cover the white as much as possible. Sometimes white shows through, sometimes not. The colors used to cover the white are sometimes transparent. My parrot knowledge is mostly theoretical though. I only own one of them. I'll step aside now and let people who have more speak up.

One more thing before I fade, it would be good to remember that not every white-based 4-color Vitro shooter is a parrot, even in the 1" range.

*entering watch mode* -s

This is the mib that started the quagmire... Slightly under 5/8" Dia.

I purchased this mib for $37.00 identified as a "Vitro Pink Elite Parakeet"... The guy I got it from is a reputable dealer and a member of this board...

What might have happened is that perhaps the seller posted this marble or a similar one here for ID. If one board member said "parakeet", and another said "Vitro elite", the seller may have combined the names in his ID.

He might even have posted it on more than one board and might have combined the input from the various sites.

I think many interesting ebay names might arise from that type of board exchange. Once we've given our opinions on it, the seller of the marble has to make his best judgement of how to list it.

I appreciated Edna's answer in that other thread and would like it if she would reconstruct it here. In a compact way it refers to different conventions and traditions which have been in use by collectors.

Here are those quotes from Ron:

I will do this again for an old friend,who always looked me up at the local shows. Blaine Lemon was plant manager for Vitro Parkersburg for many years, before Louie Moore. Everytime i saw Blaine he had four to six parrots in his bib overall pocket,and he was proud to show them. The parrots were his favorite Vitro marble. I ask Blaine what was a true parrot. He answered Quote"For a parrot our goal was a white base with FOUR colors on the surface with no white showing,but that is difficult, so many had some white showing. White was not one of the four colors because it is the base color. " Many of the parrots only ended up with three colors because the fourth color of glass in the tank would run out or go empty,thus a three color shooter. When the third color ran out,then it was a two color shooter.

Just because a color ran out in the tank or furnace due to,amount of colored glass,temp,feeding problems,etc,the machine and tank was not stopped or shut down,it would just be swithced to another type,style,color,etc. This switch is where the unusual or odd marbles happens and makes them difficult to ID. During the switch there may be a gallon of marbles made or twenty gallon,depending on how long it takes to get everthing correct,(temp,flow,cutters,rolls,etc) for the type glass or marble wanted. Most of these marbles ended up in the ground at or near the site. Although several of these marbles during switches would be super good,colors and patterns mixing,but almost always were unable to duplicate it again.

Very little 100% dealing with marbles,24hr. shifts,and cheap labor without quality controls,especially night shifts.

For Blaine and myself a Vitro parrot will be four colors and not include white,and the best ones will have no white showing.

The aventurine in some parrots was not a requirement or intentional. It sometimes came from the cullet being used,or a previous run.

These were marbles for PLAY, for children and at the lowest price possible,with what was avialable at that particular week or month.

Blaine Lemon deceased

Thanks Blaine

Ron S.

Parrots-again,what Blaine Lemon told me. He was Vitro plant manager and parrots were his favorite marble. He always had them in his bib overall pockets. Blaine said his goal was a 1 inch four color marble not including white,but 100% coverage did not always happen. Some would have the white base showing.

Some parrots are patch pattern and some in the bigger sizes are swirl pattern. Some will have white and some will not. Many people include white as one of the colors (thats fine with me). For me a good parrot will show no white and have 4 colors. Sizes range from 3/4 to 1 inch. If the green has aventurine that is another plus. The parakeets are the same type marble,same colors,most all patch type,same looks,just smaller size 5/8-9/16-11/16. The is not much mistake about id of a good parrot or parakeet.

Speak your piece and show your treasures!

Thank you Scott. That's terrific.

Any help in this area is MUCH appreciated. I have one box waiting to uploaded still, one Craig posted elsewhere and okayed for here. But that might be it for me for who knows how long.