Noodleloaf

Indeed - that's been absolutely the most amazing part of this whole experience and I'm so appreciative of that time together. And thanks for the encouraging words! I'm excited for us to consider next steps, and all the feedback will play a part in shaping where it goes from here. But that's the nice thing about having written the code - there's really no limits to how it can evolve.

That makes sense, and I don't think it is just you. FWIW, we opted to purchase RafflePress to run the giveaway - which along with some nice features including random winner selection comes formal stuff like the rules in a legal template and a structure that is not very customizable and I suspect was more of a deterrent than a reassurance. I regret that the tone was so far off from what it should have been - this was just me and my family doing a "first" for us. There is certainly a lot we are going to take away and learn from.

I invited comments, and all of them are appreciated and taken in good spirit. Point well taken about things that seem too good to be true. For the record, this was a legitimate giveaway of a mint Peltier Superman and not a Vacor or doctored marble. I can see that I didn’t effectively communicate my background prior to jumping into the giveaway. In this day and age of scams everywhere, it was definitely an oversight. It’s really too bad, because my reputation is extremely important to me. After 12 years of marble-collecting, discussing, buying & selling, I made assumptions that I was accepted, if not respected and didn’t recognize that here I am virtually unknown. Username: Noodleloaf (at multiple forums) Ebay Username: moon823 This isn’t about building trust for giveaways or product launches. I’m responding as a private community member here that hopes that those that actually have interacted with me can share their experiences.

A big "Thank You" to all who participated in our very first giveaway! Congratulations to AJ K. - the lucky winner of the Peltier Superman marble. Since this was our very first experience with holding a giveaway, we would really like to know what everyone thought of the experience. What did you think of the prize? Any suggestions for the next prize? What did you think of the giveaway landing page? Was there anything you found hard when entering? Can we make it easier for you to be eligible to win? To those who did not enter, what kept you from entering? Feel free to post here or PM me directly. Finally, a very special thanks to this forum, its moderators, and all those who took time to read and discuss the post!

🌞🎉 Summer Marble Giveaway Ends Soon! 🎉🌞 Only 2 days left to enter the giveaway for the mint Peltier National Line Rainbo Superman marble! Don't miss out - one lucky person is going to be very happy they entered. 🔗 Simply click the link below to enter: 👉 https://nichibles.com/peltier-superman-giveaway Don't forget to return daily to get an extra entry! Post here or PM me if you have any questions. Good luck, everyone!

A few last random thoughts and then I've exhausted my questions. Do you think someone found a Sunflower and chipped it up and polished the surface to make it look old (or maybe to get rid of orange-peel)? The colors are a dead-match for the Sunflower from what I can see, but did CA ever use that same combo? Do we have examples of Sunflower with: fourth color (white) and/or unconnected mostly parallel stretched strands that do a "c" pattern but twist around the axis, and do either CA or Vacor match with the stretchy-globby-ness in the pics?

I should've posted new pics sooner - much more detail can be seen in these as I'm using a focus-stacked macro to take. I didn't have time to get exact lighting - the orange appears a little darker than in-hand but I think the detail of the swirls may be the key? Also 2 further-back pics - sometimes close-up makes it harder to get the feel.

I'm glad to have been able to post one that has drawn so much attention and grateful for all the feedback and the debate. I may even post new pics as I have improved my picture skills since then. Years ago - like many bug-bitten collectors - I did let my hopes of finding a rare marble bias my ability to see facts clearly. I don't think I'm alone in that regard. But I don't often make that mistake today, and I never actually argued for CA at all. I just didn't want to put a possible cyclone (which I have never seen in person to compare) in with moderns. It seemed to me that there is so much variation across years of marble production that a small number of vintage look like moderns and a small number of moderns look like vintage and only a well-trained eye would not be fooled. You are correct about the Scorpion - that was the one Vacor in the bunch I mentioned. At least it was a nice mint one. The other three you circled have details that you can't see without better pics that actually make id pretty certain: Killer CA (flames and all!), Pelt Bee, and a nice Green AV Vitro. Did Vacor intentionally use the same color scheme in its marbles as early makers? It sure seems like it and can be pretty frustrating, though most are easily distinguishable in-hand. You're also so correct in the value of studying Vacor types (and for me I gotta learn more JABO too) From an academic standpoint this is a great discussion!

No - I'm sure in-hand it would be an easy call but I haven't been to any shows and there aren't any people nearby I could take it to. Anyone want to send me a cyclone I could use to compare? 😆 Agree - I had a similar thought when I bought the lot. But then again, I'm not sure why they would include a dinged up Vacor with a 4mm moon either...

It was a special bunch for sure but the context isn’t as helpful as it seems because there was at least one Vacor, a few modern and the lot was just labeled as handmade and machine made marbles so …

Not my pic - this is from Morphys but shows the lot together as purchased.

Jeff - I’ve still got that one these years later, so still helpful for me and others. Thanks! That purple-yellow combo is stunning!

🤔 I think my messaging needs a lot of work. There is close to zero overlap between this incredible forum and the purpose for which we made Nichibles, other than a common love of marbles! These comments are very helpful for me in understanding where things are at, so please keep 'em coming! The tool I'm offering is new, but I'm not trying to change all the good things that have always worked. I've been a member here and at other forums for over a dozen years, sold 1000's of marbles on Ebay with 100% positive feedback (and collected many more 1000's from everywhere!), and know that in-person and in-hand is the real way marble-collecting thrives.

The Peltier Superman Marble National Line Rainbo Giveaway is now OPEN, so come and enter for free. Don't forget, you can get an extra free entry every day through June 25th. http://nichibles.com/peltier-superman-giveaway/ Good luck!

No panel of experts. This is organic and is our first attempt to share the tool we've made and personally use. The very last thing I would ever want to do is to dilute or harm the integrity of the marble-collecting community. If I receive feedback that the integrity of the examples is not accurate and could not be easily corrected, I would disable that feature until a solution could be found.