Steph

1946

Now that I've seen this ad, I've looked closely at the contents of boxes with the picture of the three boys, and they are very often the newer looking patches. But check out the "counter box" photo. That moss agate pic was first used about 15 years before. Note that the Moss Agate name has been blotted out!

(click to enlarge)

Mid 1940's

Early 1940's

Oh my.

Those are some sweet lozenges.

Oh thank you Terry for the support.

That was a bad slip, wasn't it.

Cool!

The Tracy-Wells ad is another puzzle to me for the wholesale pricing details. Was Tracy-Wells actually a wholesale merchandiser? Or more like some of our modern discount warehouses which aren't really? The fancy illustrations do make it look a little upscale. no?

For comparison here's an ad which I've seen from a couple of sources but I don't think I've ever seen a company name for. Galen said it was from 1933.

Here is a clip of the Rainbo box:

 

 

For another example, at 20 cents apiece the California agates are at least as high as the retail of the period. There were news reports on thefts from Calif. Agate in early 1930 and late 1931. The 1930 report valued the stolen marbles at 10 cents each. The 1931 report valued them at 5 cents each.

For another example, the Tracy-Wells peerless prices are the same as the NLR prices at a Wisconsin hardware store in 1931, and the realer prices are even higher.

The ad is still awesome! I'm just not sure what was meant by "wholesale".

Here is a beautiful 1931 ad George Sourlis sent because of the box of California Agates. It's from the Tracy-Wells Co. catalog. Awesome graphics. And it's cool to see an earlier date on the Acme Realers and Peerless Patches than I had before.

More 1940's?

Some more Akros which seem to be from about the same time frame. Jo sold this box recently.

1940's

Another salesman's sample case. Again, the exact date is unknown, but my guess is mid 1940's.

It contains later era Akros. It seems most likely (to me) that the case was modified to reflect a simpler line.

It was 'found' in New Zealand, of all places! As far as I am aware, no others are known. Why haven't they been found in the USA?

(some discussion)

Year?

This was a new name to me at a time when I might have thought I should be confident I'd heard all the Akro marble names.

I don't have much for dating them, but I do have some info on when marbles were being advertised for floral arrangements. I'll gather those up and check dates. Off the top of my head, I think it's the late 30's and early 40's.

Though the sample box looks old enough to be from the 20's, it is hard to tell when it might have been used.

afterthought: were caster balls named anything other than caster balls? If so, what?

In a sample box:

(click to enlarge)

And the flower arranging balls from the industrial uses thread:

(click to enlarge)

1939

I can't remember anyone else calling their mibs Royals right now, so I'll say Akro here.

1937, 1938

I have some odd bits and pieces for this. (lol, I guess I should put some of the standard info in here also. someday)

June 27, 1870

German Flats, Herkimer, New York

Jennie Levi, age 24, Housekeeper

Boarder list includes:

James Fredericks, 26, Blacksmith, from Denmark

Martin Fredericks, 21, also from Denmark, "works at the agl works" (Agricultural Works)

June 11, 1880

Buffalo, Erie county, New York

137 16th St.

Fred Christensen, age 32, Foundry worker

Wife Jennie, 34

Children:

• Carrie, 7 (Carrie may also have been known as Cathrine)
  
• Helena, 5
  
• Bessie, 3 (Bessie seems to be lost to history, possibly confused with Jessie in later accounts)
  
• Charles, 1
  

1890

The Drop Hammer Forging Company is incorporated in Akron. Martin is "superintendent".

1898 - 1899

Martin's patents place him in Cleveland.

1898 - 1899, War with Spain

A 20-year-old Charles F. Christensen was a private in the Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company B, Akron

June 11, 1900

Akron, Summit, Ohio

725 East Exchange

Martin F. Christenson, Age 50, born March 1850 (inaccurate), Machinist, immigrated 1862, in U.S. 58 years, Naturalized. (questions)

Jennie D. , 50, born April 1850 (inaccurate), married 28 years, 5 children, 4 still living

Charles F., 21, born October 1878 (this appears correct), at school

Jessie M., 17, born May 1873, at school

April 26, 1910

Akron, Summit, Ohio

Street address 457. [note: The large Baughman family lives at 465.]

Marcus F. Christensen, Age 61, immigrated 1867 (some question), manufacturer of glass marbles

Jennie, 63, married 37 years, 5 children, 4 still living

Charles, 30 (inaccurate), manufacturer of glass marbles

Oct. 10, 1915

Martin Christensen dies.

Sept. 12, 1918

Charles Fredrick Christansen (question about last few letters in Christansen, but not about the "a")

Born: Oct. 27, 1878

Nearest relative: Nellie M. Christansen

Residence: 453 E. Exchange, Akron, Summit, Ohio

Employment: Manufacturer, M. F. Christensan & Son Co., 455 E. Exchange

Short, stout, brown hair, brown eyes

Jan. 2, 1920

Akron, Summit, Ohio

453 Exhange St.

Chas. F. Christensen, Age 40 (inaccurate), Mfg, Glass

Wife: Nellie, 34

Daughter: Jacquelin, 4 and 3/12, born in Ohio (question)

457 Exchange St.

Head: Jennie D. Christensen, Age 73

Maid: Galdine Aubin, 32

Dec. 25, 1922

Charles dies in Akron.

12th, 1930

Akron, Summit, Ohio

453 Exchange

The household had a radio set.

Nellie Christensen, head, age 45, widow

Daughter: Jacquelin, 14, born in South Carolina (question)

Brother: Carl Baughman, 38, single, Automobile salesman

Sister: Elizabeth Dietz, 25, divorced

Nephew: Richard Dietz, 6

Lodger: Paul Kistler, 28, widower, Doughnut Company Proprietor

to Ron.

And a belated LOL to Bob.

I have a whole lot of different reactions to the hyperbole in the old ads. Most of the time I find them charming. Sometimes I laugh out loud. Sometimes I get caught up in trying to figure out if it really was an exaggeration or just how much of an exaggeration it was. That's what happened to me with that particular box.

11 marbles for ten cents sounds like a lot of money! ... you know, considering it was 83 years ago. But I don't know enough about costs in the 20's. Maybe 10 cents was perfectly in line with the cost of manufacturing especially considering quality of the marbles.

Anyway ... I'm bumping now coz I plan to add a couple of ads. brb.

Update: All of the mesh bags have been seen in modern times, at least one each. VERY hard to find.

1936

Sept. 1936 -- Pop-Eye Packages:

If I had to guess the marbles from the photos, the sheen on the darkest ribbons would lead me to guess at least some oxbloods in the 10 cent box.

1935

Jan. 1935 -- Visi Paks

Live and in color:

(click!)

1934

Jan. 1934 -- "the new Akro Carnelian":

(click to enlarge)

Are these Akro?

(click to enlarge)

The patent:

(click)

1933

Jobbers price list with the "new Akro Carnelian" and Sparklers!

After 1932?

Possibly 1934 or later? When was the "new" Akro carnelian actually new?

(click links below the thumbnails for larger images - might need to doubleclick for full size)

. .

. .

http://i119.photobuc...Catalog1of4.jpg

http://i119.photobuc...Catalog2of4.jpg

http://i119.photobuc...Catalog3of4.jpg

http://i119.photobuc...Catalog4of4.jpg

In reference to a recent prize name discusion, at this point Akro definitely had white-based Prize Names, but the ad company wouldn't necessarily have known it.

There was an ad maybe from around this time which had the color combos dropped, but that was one where there were pix of the prize names. Pix which didn't match the description in the ad. The proofreader would have flagged that and finally the outdated text was cut. (that's my theory)

Close up of one of the more unusual parts of the ad:

I recently learned that all of these bags have been seen in modern times. The only ones I've seen pix of are Hotshots. It has been suggested that the Liberty bags were related to the advertisement bag at the bottom of this pic.

(click link for larger image)

http://i119.photobuc...zardMonarch.jpg

1932, Glassies Size Update

I sorta hope this is a clue to dating ads which mention No. 2 glassies. Hope it means they would have come after February of 1932, but there's some conflicting info still being worked out in one of those other ads with No. 2 glassies. It's at least remotely possible that Akro might have sent out a letter for completely different reasons. It's remotely possible that they said they were getting requests for an unadvertised item, when in fact they were failing to get requests for an advertised item, so they wanted to pump up interest. (Just brainstoming while I wait for word on some of those inconsistencies which seem to place at least one catalog with #2 glassies in the year 1931.)

I have some material for this also. As with the MFC thread, some odd bits now, but I'll try to add the normal bits also someday.

April 16, 1882

Lawrence Everett Alley is born in Kentucky.

April 22, 1910

He is a coach painter in Huntington, W. Va. (Census)

1917

L. E. Alley is Vice President, General Manager and Purchasing Agent of the Kingwood Glass Co., Kingwood, W. Va. (National Glass Budget Directory)

Sept. 12, 1918

He is a glass blower at the Western Glass Co. in St. Marys, W. Va. (WWI Registration)

April 27, 1942

WWII Registration. Sort of interesting description. But no extra marble info.

1931, Sunset Agates

Looks like that could be this box.

The panel the ad came from because it's charming:

(click to enlarge)

They were offered as a prize to the 4th place scorer in Madison, WI's marble tournament.

The first place winner was to receive a new suit of clothes, dress shoes, a free pressing of a suit, and the trip to Chicago for the regional competition. But in the end, the hardware store gave both boys a box of marbles and a Cornelian shooter.

A couple of the related articles.

(click to enlarge0

. . .

Romanzo may have gone on to play bush league ball -- not certain, but there was a "hurler" by the same name, of the appropriate age a few years later. (Can't jump to conclusions. Many Schneiders from different families settled in the area, including my great-great-grandparents. Many cousins and even unrelated people had identical names.)

Early 1930's

1931

Here is an ad George Sourlis sent from the December 1931 Playthings Magazine.

Check here for some nice Acme Realer pix