Scoop

What's it gonna be??? Should we stay traditional with Red & Green?? Or, should we take a different path?? Somebody call it!! Looks like Red & Green!!!

ROFL... I don't think I'd go so far as to call it "Technical Wisdom!!" I've learned a few things by trial & error... I was never very good at reading manuals, so that wisdom is limited to the stuff I use regularly... Beyond that, I'm pretty clueless!!

I'll second that comment.... The size of my pics right from the camera is 1600 x 1200 pxl.. If I want to keep the picture as it is, I blur it before resizing to the size I usually use (for ebay) 400 x 300... That way, I don't get the funny ziggy lines in fabric or straight edges... But, for a macro shot, if I take it well focused on macro, without a zoom, leave it sharp and crop it from 1600 x 1200 to the smaller size, it usually comes out perfect.

Uh oh.... I think I just missed it.... Hope it was awesome!!

I might do it, too... My current camera takes 4 AA batteries... I keep 8 rechargeables... It can be a pain, especially when a kid sneaks in and takes two... So, keeping just 4 charged would be a lot easier!! One thing that really saves battery life is a card reader. Removing the card from the camera for download is a lot less hassle than hooking the camera up and keeps the batteries running a lot longer I don't think I've EVER used the view finder on my digital camera!! LOL Abe's of Maine has a deal on these, too... I'm bettin' they are slated for discontinue. I'm expecting at some point soon, the memory cards will be updated and prices will go up (If they haven't already) I like the fact that this one has a card that will work with my SanDisk card reader... I've had that long enough to be near the obsolete point!! (note the slashed price!!) Another thing I like about this camera is the fact that it's black!! A lot of camera models are available in several colors... Some even cost more because of a popular color... OK, I admit, having a "color-cool" camera would be nice... But, in close-up reflective pictures, I'd rather have a black camera...

I regret that I've never made it to the Amana show... And, only a very few close to the mid-west. So, I don't know Bob... But, I do have a sharp knowledge of what it's like to lose a good "Marble Friend." My deepest condolences to all of you who were friends to Bob....

Cool idea and a nice catch!!! Yeah, let's see that puppy!!!! Where's Griff??? LOL

Wooooo Hooooo!!!! Hey Bill!!! 'Great to see ya!!

By Bobbie Seese.... Who should be having a new baby girl in the next month or so!!!

I just happened across this review.... It's a camera I wouldn't have thought about. But, the lense info is interesting and it does macro... I have no idea how biased or unbiased the link may be. Panasonic?????

Hey Buddy, only the "Retired Guys" have time to read the whole auction!!! ROFLMAO Good Point!!! The price for those 3 marbles would cover my son's student loans (After Scholarships.... Ok, I'm braggin'!! LOL) for a semester at the third most expensive college in the country and give him a couple of bucks spending $$$

Close enough, Winnie!! That's a beauty!!

No problem Steph... I know exactly how that feels!! I did it once, too... But, I wasn't saved by anyone!! It was embarrassing.... I think I was trying to fix a link and I made a MESS!!! For the longest time, I copied any post I tampered with, so I could at least put it back if I goofed it up!! I was thinkin' it might have been for the best. But, I'm glad it's back.... I have to agree... The big Pretty marble is far more to my liking... The huge attraction to the others is the fact that they are sooooo rare. So I can really appreciate the comment... But..... I think.... If I were to find one of those in a price range I could afford, I'd have a tough time letting it go!! Yet, if I had that amount of money to spend, I think I'd shoot at different targets... Kevin, he had that price on all three for shipping... Ebay doesn't allow for calculated insurance anymore (And I'll be damned if I can figure out WHY!!!) So, I'm bettin' he simply figured the highest possible cost and stuck it in there... After the fact, he can return the overage if he wants to be a good guy... As far as I can tell from this seller, he's really good. Damn... I hadn't added the numbers up... At that range, it might be better to look into registered mail... At one point, a long time ago, I had to ship 4 Steuben candlesticks to NYC. It was a much better and cheaper deal to go registered... (I'm too lazy to check it out!! LOL)

Congratulations Dani & Ernie!!! She's beautiful!! Now, I can understand the delay in talking marbles!!!

I find some items just don't photograph well under lights... You might try natural light. A bright, but slightly overcast day is my favorite... Hey, Post a link when you get it on!!

Good question... I'm in the same boat. My old Olympus is 3x the size of the newer cameras and it's mis-behaving... I was hoping to keep it in the $250 range... I've been using my son's Canon Powershot A510 (I think, at 5 years old, this one is also obsolete... I can't find any for sale) The macro on it seems to work pretty well...

Nope... I don't see anyone confusing a Jabo for that Baby!!! Awesome Marble!!!

AWESOME NEWS!!!!!! Thanks Di!!! I had heard otherwise and was making plans for an appeal to the BOD... Whew!! One less battle to fight!!

Really?? I don't keep a vigilant watch on ebay auctions. But, just a quick search for similar quality marbles in tough condition... Like this one... Ebay Auction I think that sounds a little ambitious...

Welcome Pete!! We have some crazy moments here and there... But, we do try to help where we can!! WOW, you got to meet Paul?? How Cool!! I hope it was a good meeting... Before he settled down, he was pretty famous for having his good and bad days... Mannnn, I miss him!! If you can email pictures, IM me for an email address and I'll be happy to post them for you.

Damned Kids!!!! LOL What a great find, Burt!!! Tough call...

Hi Steve, I can't ID all of the marbles there, but I'll do my best... They all look to be German handmades. I'm not positive when German glass cane marbles were first produced, but I think 1865 would have been in the very early years... The pretty blue & red is an onionskin. The one with the red & green center is a solid core. The one with the yellow and white stripes looks very unusual... Almost like a latticinio ribbon? sort of thing... It would be cool to see better pictures of that one alone... The green sparkly one would be a green mica (those are mica flecks...) It looks like the clear / whitish one may also be a mica... The blue is a little too rough, it may be a mica, also. But, it could be other things, too... I really can't tell about the brownish one. Value, just for what they are... In the condition they are.... I hate to say.... Is not a lot. Condition is so important... BUT... If you can set them up with a good provenance package, they may have more value for their history... That might circumvent the condition issue... There was a shipwreck off the New England coast, that was transporting marbles in freight. The marbles were sold with provenance and COA's. They did quite well... In this case, it would be a great help to know as much as possible about the wreck. Was it carrying the marbles as freight?? Where was it coming from? Going to? ....Any pictures?? Absolutely anything at all that can be put together as a historical "package" around them, may enhance the value... How much?? That would depend on the extent of the provenance and how it's presented. I wish this had been an easier answer. But, it's an interesting story. It has potential!!

I started this post when it would have been the next response to Galen... But, I had to leave.... Galen, EVERYONE cares about these folks... The problem is, it's impossible to protect them all, from EVERYTHING... If they don't get suckered by this, they'll get suckered by fake bags, fake boxes, fake printed comix, fake Civil War marbles... etc, etc... In every possible collectible and valuable ever made... All we can do is provide sites like this, to educate. We can't protect the whole world from everyone, or everything that is evil... The nature of the world just isn't a totally safe place... Know what you can do and what you can't. You can't stop ALL fraud... Sad, yes... But, true.. You'll have to learn to deal with that... It's hard!! What about making adults happy?? We just can't jump that huddle?? If it's for kids, it's for fun... If it's for adults, it's for MONEY!!! What is it costing these people to make these runs?? For every single marble from these runs, that makes a LOT of money, how many are dogs?? Where will those less fortunate marbles end up??? Probably in the hands of kids... Isn't that an ideal situation??? The collectors cull the cream and kids can beat the rest of 'em up!! Now, if they'd only thought of that 100 years ago!!! LOL Uhhhh... I'm not sure... But, I thought a lot of marble companies bought up the cullet from places like Cambridge, No?? If I'm wrong, I apologize... But, I was always under that impression. Maybe one way of looking at it... But, also made in limited runs because the people making them aren't in the business of making marbles. Their time at the furnace is limited and they are experimenting with colors and techniques... It seems to me, that's very much like what the marble companies did with new ideas... Hmmmmmmmmm.... What a NASTY idea!!! The concept of having an idea that may sell to many and turn a profit... 'Sounds SLEAZY to me.... Bad juju's!!! How very grossly capitalistic!!!

It's the same old thing... If you need to know, you need to use all resources to learn... Winnie, don't dispare too much just yet... I'm still bettin' Kevin is right... This is just one picture. Don't worry about the sky falling until we have far more reason to believe it is...

Steph, your right... But, I think, what the REAL confict here is... The conflicting ideals of... Are you a collector? Or, are you an INVESTOR!!! If your ideal is collecting, you pay what you can afford to have what you want. If your an investor, your gonna get pissed off if something happens that deflates the price of your investment!! Well folks.... Let me tell you how I felt about the 75,000 worth of stock options I inherited when my Mom passed away 2 years ago... By the end of last year, they were down to under 10,000... Sometimes, life sucks... But hey, they're back into double digits, now... Investing and collecting are two distinctly different concepts. If you've combined the two, you really need to decide what side of that fence your on...