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Thanks for the compliments. The pictures are mine, the flowers belong to my sister. The asters aren't blooming yet. Those pictures are from other years. Not much is blooming right now except some phlox. We're in the Midwest. I've never posted these pictures anywhere except in the slide show. People tell me I should try to sell them, but I don't know.

Here are some of the best flower pictures I've taken over the years. Lots of new ones from this year. It'll take awhile to view them all, so be forewarned! Flower Slideshow

Rich, I think your best chance of finding a nice "Z" might be the 1" Peltier Catseyes. I have only four of those, but every one has a more-or-less "z" shape. The 5/8" ones are usually too small to make a good z. Here's the best 1" one I have, though I'm sure there are better ones out there. I couldn't find any good "4"s, but I think probably the Pelts or CACs are the best chance of finding one of those. I've been thinking about doing a marble/flower comparison thing. Some of the flower pictures I've taken remind me of certain marbles. For example, this Clematis never fails to bring to mind this Vitro. So I thought maybe, since that marble doesn't have a name (that I know of), why not call it a Jackmani, which is the type of Clematis this is. ...oh...and that reminds me...

I don't do much iding because I have a pretty narrow range of interest in marbles (across the board, yet narrow), and most of the marbles that I can id are well-known types that most anyone already knows what they are.

People who are so thin-skinned that they're afraid to take the risk of another member/moderator disagreeing with them over a marble id, are wise not to post on this board or any other board. These forums are for learning, not for group-think or cliques.

OK, I'm satisfied with the explanation. And a big THANK YOU to Sue for all her years of voluntary service on this board.

hahaha...guess you're right...maybe I'm pushing my luck with all these dumbass questions. Boy, I hope I haven't gotten a strike already...

OK, but who decides who the offender(s) is/are, supposing it's not real obvious? And how will it be decided? I guess I'm sorta playing the devil's advocate here. Some potential members might be scared off unless it's all very clear, and others might stick around unless it's all very clear. I'm not trying to stir up trouble or anything

Dave, maybe you should explain this paragraph a bit more...seems it may already have been misunderstood. And I'm not sure I totally understand it myself (I can be pretty dense, you know).

Here are better pictures of two of the spheres. Yes, they are smooth and shiny, and they have been machine-ground, leaving lots of little pits and spidery cracks, like a polished damaged marble would have. They are heavy, like glass marbles, definitely not clay. They certainly do look like Leopard Jasper (thank you!). Here are some similar-looking gemstones. #1 #2 #3 Leopard Jasper Slab This is really wild!

I bought these cuz I thought they were purty They look way better in hand than the photos would suggest. But I don't know anything about them. Like...do they come out of the ground that way (not round like that, of course)? Or are they a conglomerate of different minerals artificially put together? Are they dyed? Any info anyone can offer is appreciated. Mineral Spheres

I think you should buff it just enough to make it shine

Why is it a clown onionskin and not a Joseph's Coat? Never mind. Didn't see JVVMarble's post above.

Why might we need nasal spray, David?

QUICK! Someone get the bug spray!

I think I'll stick with my definition, with the added provision that if it is a 6-ribbon NLR but has only one yellow ribbon, then it's a Superboy (some might call it a Superteen).

I bought this one. Didn't expect it to be translucent, almost transparent when a maglite is shone through it. Is that the way they usually are? These are new to me. It has obvious faceting that looks to be done by hand. Agate

This used to be her spiel: WELCOME TO MY AUCTION!!!! MY STUPIDITY CAN BE YOUR GAIN....YOU ARE LOOKING AT A VINTAGE MARBLE 2 1/2 INCH...PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT MARBLES BUT THIS ONE IS REALLY DIFFERENT..I LIVE IN A 150 YEAR OLD HOME..WELL I FINALLY FOUND THE TIME TO CLEAN MY BASEMENT...AND I HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF MARLBES. THEY HAVE BEEN IN OLD CANS IN THE DIRT AND IN OLD JARS...I SELL ON EBAY TO HELP MY FAMILY MAKE THAT LITTLE EXTRA. WELL IN LOOKING UP MARBLES I FOUND THAT THEY WHERE VERY COLLECTABLE. NOW YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND I COLLECT EVERYTHING AND JUST HAVE RUN OUT OF ROOM TO COLLECT ANYTHING ELSE..SO I OFFER THEM TO THE FINE PEOPLE ON EBAY..EACH MARBLE IS LIKE A LITTLE PIECE OF ART AND NONE OF THEM ARE THE SAME.. I MEASURED IT WITH A RULER TO TRY TO GET THE SIZE. IT DOES HOW EVER HAVE A BEAUTIFUL COLOR TO MANY TO LIST..SOME OF THE PICTURES ARE WITH A LIGHT UNDERNEATH IT SO YOU CAN SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS.......IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK........I DO COMBINE SHIPPING AND HANDLING AND ONLY CHARGE 3.95 FOR THE FIRST MARBLE AND ANYTHING THING AFTER THAT IS FREE ON ME. SO THE MORE MARBLES YOU BUY THE BETTER ON YOU..PLEASE REMEMBER THAT SOME OF THESE MARBLES MIGHT BE NEWER I'M NOT A EXPERT...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LOOKING AT MY AUCTIONS HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!PLEASE REMEMBER THE MORE YOU BUY THE CHEAPER THE SHIPPING BECOMES, BECAUSE I ONLY CHARGE ONE FEE FOR SHIPPING WHETHER IT IS ONE MARBLE OR A HUNDRED 3.95 IS IT NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!

Alley Horsehair Oxblood Shooter

I think that last one is a Superboy. So...it looks like my "cut-and-dried" definition stands...yes?...no? Red/Yellow/Blue = Superman Blended Red-Yellow/Blue = Superboy Red/Blue = Spiderman

Chances are, it would have been an adult who saved the best ones from the ring, not a child. JMO

The game of marbles has to be one of the most illogical things ever invented. To produce something that adults value as works of art and are willing to pay good money for, then give them to kids, who bash them into each other, defies reason. If the kids truly valued them, once they won a prized marble, would they not set it aside, instead of further damaging it? Following that logic, the best marbles should have minimal damage. Seems to me that the kids value the game itself far more than the marbles. There's nothing wrong with that, but the marble-makers should have made cheap ones for the kids, and marketed the others for adults. Why didn't anyone think of that? I'm sure there must be good reason. Probably in the old days, the average person didn't have the $ to spend on such luxuries. All people did was work, work, work.

When it comes to marbles, I'm strictly a follower. I would NEVER presume to do any of my own thinking! I leave that to the experts. And a few years ago, on this very forum, I asked about this marble, thinking it might only be a Superboy, not a Superman, but I was assured that it was a Superman. Yet, it has only one pure unadulterated yellow ribbon. So now it has been demoted in rank? I swear I can't keep up with all the rules and changes... Maybe someone can find that old thread. I probably posted under another name back then.

Most collectors are willing to accept more damage on the old handmade marbles than on the newer machine-made marbles. That's probably only because it's so hard to find any perfectly mint handmades (contemporaries aside). It's just supply and demand. As long as there's mint ones out there, that's going to be what collectors (the ones with the $) are after.

Most collectors are willing to accept more damage on the old handmade marbles than on the newer machine-made marbles. That's probably only because it's so hard to find any perfectly mint handmades (contemporaries aside). It's just supply and demand. As long as there's mint ones out there, that's going to be what collectors (the ones with the $) are after. Oops...I put this in the wrong thread.