Steph

Wouldn't you like to have a few of these? (source) I did a check for them on ebay and was surprised to see how many brands there were. Guess it was a relatively standard item.

Marble stands, to hold ceramics when firing: (click to enlarge) From the auction description:

Marble King Spidermen? . (LOL ) (click to enlarge) . (source) (sorry, newbies, don't let me confuse you. those aren't spidermen. it's just a fun bag :-) These are copyrighted 1979, so maybe a 1980's bags.

I dreamt about this box last night. Dreamt it was mine and I finally got a good look at the fine print and saw it said 100% made in the U.S.A. (LOL ... this was only a dream!) Wonder what decade it might be from. The seller estimated "about 1940's".

Here's an adorable box which recently sold on ebay. Looks like it was packaged for the British market but all it says about the marbles is that they are foreign. I first guessed the marbles would be German, but then I wondered about Japanese or American. We would all qualify as foreign if the box was to be sold in England. What do you think? (click to enlarge) (source)

Big ones in Vitro, Division of Jabo packaging: (source)

Here's a link to Vacor's present webite: http://www.vacor.com.mx. It's a neat site. Check it out. They've got interesting pix of applications for marbles in the "industrial" section, as well as a slick slideshow of marble styles in the "juguete" section. The text quoted below is from their history page. If I'm reading it correctly, it says they started out making clays in 1930, and in 1934 made clearies, and then started cat's eye production in 1944.

I don't personally recognize the colors on the middle left and middle front. Neat combos! The other four look like Jabo boulders I've owned.

Nice effect!

I'd heard of those before. ... well, just did a quick search. Now I realize I've seen a picture of one other. Yours is in very good shape!

I wrote to Jane, who owns the quandongs I linked to. Wasn't sure she'd get my message since her site was created in 1998 but I thought it worth a try. She got my mail and nicely wrote me back. And Tome she agrees with you and wouldn't call them marbles as such. She'd also read about aboriginal kids playing with them, but she said when they're dry they're not very heavy. It would be hard to play "marbles" with them then. Maybe the aboriginal children played with them before they dried out. Temporary toys? Kids being kids and finding ways to make do with what they have?

lol ... YOU could start a new line of marble production. I would but I don't think we have Quandong trees in Wisconsin! LOL I can see it, quaint knobbly quandong seeds in a flour sack cloth marble bag, or maybe gingham checked? (My dad's marble bag was black and white gingham! My grandma made it.) Way retro! Everything old is new again!

Thanks Tome for the explanation. Chinese Checkers marbles count! LOL I also read a very brief reference to Aboriginal children playing games with them. It didn't give any details and I can't find it again today, but it was just someone's sort of vague memory anyway. Here's where I first saw examples of the quandong seed marbles yesterday. It's what started my brief search and prompted my question. Jane's Marble Collection p.s. & lol! Check out Jane's Marble Man on that same page! rofl (the 2nd pic is the front of the fella!)

Thank you. Very clear explanation. Just to make sure, are you showing an onionskin on the left and a Joseph coat on the right? (thanks again, much appreciated)

LOL, I just read about Quandong seeds being used for marbles. Do you know about that?

What is the difference between a Joseph's Coat and an Onionskin?

Turns out that someone with clay and glaze can make their own 'Benningtons'. Of course that would be so. These are items purchased within the last month by someone who sells a lot of ceramic marbles in the vintage category on eBay: Item #250190217158, 25 lb bag of Potter's Moist Clay ($11) Item #140097403085, 4 oz. Royal Blue Glaze ($1.90) Item #140096691170, 4 oz. Aegean Blue Glaze ($1.55), which by the way has lead in it. Note: This information was discovered by Steve (Splattman) and posted at LOM. Steve also found that this eBayer also bought a few dozen real Benningtons and clay marbles within the last month. Why? To use for comparison as they hone their own ability to make convincing marbles? To salt their large lots with real Benningtons to make it look more convincing to buyers looking for clues of the overall authenticity of the lot? Some other reason? Who knows. Perhaps they simply enjoy all kinds of ceramics, including creating their own. However, this seller has more than one negative feedback alleging fraudulent practices, including mixing reproduction marbles with antiques and artificially toning silver coins. Fraud is possible. Be careful out there.

Al, when I saw you'd answered, I thought "yea!" because Al will tell us what the max size known to be made by Champ is (for things other than double ingots). I'm pretty sure I read at LOM that it's less than 7/8". Not so?

Wonder how old this Bull's Eye box would be? (from an ebay auction)

I'll presume this Marble Champ package came sometime between the swirls and the cat's eyes. The seller said, "In one corner it reads pressman toy corp new york ny no 5990 made in usa".

No. 130 box, with cellophane top, from a Marblealan auction:

don't know. had 'em awhile before I noticed the marbles. best guess is they were a ride-along with something like a vintage button lot. whenever I got them, I put them aside and forgot about them. found 'em again in my attic and then started noticing the little details. :-)

Shoe laces. No biggie. "Old Cobbler" brand. Sure, cobblers make shoes. But tell me those are something other than marbles in the background on the label. Made in Japan, for the Alox Mfg. Co., St. Louis 14, MO. The 14 after the St. Louis was the Postal Zone, used by the post office between 1943 and 1963.

I need to add a standalone WOW! for those murrini stretching pics! Too cool! WOW!

Thanks. :-) That's where I was at. Wondering about a 2nd seam if there was a 2nd marble cut from the same gather. Those guys who did it for a living must have had amazing control of what went on, and off of, their punties.