1Alleynut

Heres a few Pelts I recently purchased, Im unfamiliar with the green base yellow and black with a touch of AV along the left side I think you can see it in the photo. I'm off to work and will check back this evening. DB.

DB.

I'm sticking with Alley, the new bag Al posted, Yes some do resemble WV swirls, but the one in question is more striated which you do not see as often or at all in new Vacors, but maybe I'll get blown out of the water on that response, I've never really focused on Vacor or Jabo allthough I do own quite a few of each just to have as examples, more Jabo than Vacor, only a few thousand though. DB.

Very nice, quite detailed, are they Polymer clay or China?? DB.

Looks like Alley to me, I think your referring to Champions Galen. DB.

Alley did make a very similar marble, however many European swirls also made it to the U.S. lots of Veliglass floating around, both companies had this color combination, allthough its a very pale example, they can get real extreme in flames and swirls. DB.

and the marbles.

No Ann, I didnt buy that one, however it was a very very nice example, I did go and buy this this morning its been sitting at a local Antique shop for about 6 months, trying to figure out a semi accurate date for this set, perhaps a souviner from Mexico. The box itself needs to be taped on all 4 corners of the lid, My guess on this set would be anywear from the 50's through the 70's just from the looks of the box, paper over cardboard, no maker on the set at all. Beautiful slab onyx game board about 8 inches across, marbles are all there, and are 9/16ths and appear to be machined rather than hand faceted, allthough numerous marbles have small flat spots.This set had been working on my mind for awhile, finally thought what the heck and just bought it. DB.

I'd go Euro swirl as well, DB.

Not referring anything towards you Griff, or anyone inpaticular, My karma is Break dancing with Gahndi. DB.

Oh I get It, when there's very large$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ involved and you could make an exotic marble for 50 cents in glass cost if that and sell that marble for 1200.00 and higher early on, would you want your name publicly advertised?? then you have a small (inner circle) group that keeps it very very hush hush top secret (no one knows but us) people who also get a cut of the pie for there silence in the matter remember theres big $$$$$$$ involved, so mums the word.even when they are distributed around the country, through these post over the years you would think it could get leaked, but no, not to this point, and I strongly doubt it ever will, unless maybe on someones death bed the guilt gets the better of them, and the beans are spilled, pretty exspensive beans they are. in more ways than one, honesty is the best policy, and bad karma will catch up and follow those who cheat the unknowing. DB.

Alley Agate and Marble King Happy Easter!!

Hansel, I'm not aware of any specific type of banded Agates native to Colorado, perhaps they were imported from germany with a (Colorado) tag placed on them for tourists sales, takeing home a piece of Colorado might be atractive to folks at that point in time, or perhaps they cut some local petrified wood or jasper which can be heavily banded and bare the Agate title, the article with the gentleman that you added the link to suggests that he was heavily into Colorado mineral specimans at that point in time, very popular with the tourists then and still are today. with this being said I'm going to have to go and buy a very strange and Unique California / Mexican Onyx Agate Solitare game set that I saw at a local Antique shop, very unusual cardboard box that holds the marbles and (onyx) carved game board, there closed today I'll have to purchase it on monday, not marked with a manfacturer, just looking at the box I'd say sometime in the 40's to perhaps the 60's It's very strange to say the least, maybe Mexico?? DB.

Great informational video's john, are they making plates?? and robotics would appear to take alot of the fun out of the whole deal,then one couldn't real call them hand made now could they, It's like My clay marbles as aposed to Carl Fishers, mine are completly hand made although I do use a Dremel to polish them, Carl has a Sphere machine for rounding his allthough he does his construction by hand and then the machine for the Perfect Sphere, I wonder what the true percentage of Vintage hand gathered, machine made, and Antique hand mades are the (perfect dimensional spheres) better tools now than then, but ??? DB.

Mon, the first one is a form of Jasper common to Wyoming similar but not identical to a petrified wood. Hansel those Reptilian Agates are really something, they all seem to have a serious amount of wear on them, The figures that is, the Agates themselves dont appear to be hand faceted at least not that you can tell from the photos,very nice detail on the original casts which would suggest a bit of age, 30's--40's perhaps?? Orbboy I've never seen Lapis Lazuli in that color before? it looks more like an Amzonite with some quartz inclusions, Interesting Set, Galen that ones seen a few battles for sure, I wonder how many glass marbles it tortured? DB.

In response to Ann's German Striped transparent, heres a few pics showing both sides of the same marbles, front and back, the open as aposed to closed seam, Ive never heard the remark before that they are not considered striped transparent due to them only having 1 color instead of multipul colored striping, and yes it would apear that they are similar to MK without much interior action, however many do have fiberous threads streching from pole to pole while others are very clear, some also having a large white interior glob, I just grabed these few for examples, its fairly easy to distinguish them from their Cac counterparts. They also can get twisted up into various different configurations looking quite abit different than these. DB.

Estep said they were dug up at cambridge found in a (barrel) which was full of clay, thats why they are all (perfect) at least that was the story in 2010 maybe it's changed since then It sure would be nice to hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and then there was the sewer repair bit, when the sewer was being repaired they were found in the Pipe, also full of clay mind you, boy those exotics sure like to snugle in the clay, however I do understand the clay bit, digging at Pennsborro after getting through all of the glass shards and other debris alot of marbles were imbeded in 6-9 inches deep of a clay layer, were they all flawless?? not hardly, thats the part that gets me, THEY ARE ALL FLAWLESS and they were DUG MARBLES I just cant see it. DB.

The box is on page # 1 of this post, the cardboard 25 count, the wood box below has a few as well, as far as purchasing some to study Galen, you could just send me a few Real ones, I'll study them and send them right back, I'll get much better photos the next time I visit my friends house and break out the loop, I have a pretty good Idea of what differences are, Very great of John to throw down his timeline and information, I knew after abit this post would blow up, many different opinions on these specific marbles over the years, DB.

I wanted to add that this box set was purchased by a good friend of mine here in Colorado a few years ago at the Las Vegas Marble Show, he paid an arm, a leg, and a few other body parts for it, to me in hand and I'm no Cac expert they looked good (real) Authentic, but then some of the color combos are really different and would fall into the (exotic) catagory. I've heard many stories about the Supposed dig where as these marbles were unearthed at the Cambidge site, and always wonder since I've only collected marbles since 1988 why I and other much more expierenced collectors have never found one or any old/vintage/ antique lot of marbles in which we have all seen are fair share of over the years, that are in played with condition, maybe a few flea bites, or a fracture, pocket ware, chips, dings, moons, or any other visible flaw, they all seemed to show up absolutely drop dead wet mint gorgeous marbles, and these were all dug???? It seems over the years besides these the Cambrige site produced some fairly nice dug specimans, as well as the Akro, and Alley Agate sites, but the precentage of Flawless wet mint marbles is small to say the least, and why would any employee at that point in time take some of the most incredible beautiful (perfect) marbles and just throw them in the pit with other refuge to be burried?? Instead of at least just taking them home to there kids to have for free, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, and the fact that they are all Perfect Marbles for being (dug) is just a wee bit over the top in believeabuilty, so it makes me really wonder on this box set which came with a (certificate of authenticity) can even be proved without a shadow of a doubt to all be the (real deal) DB

I'd lean towards Alley agate on this marble, allthough both companies used this color combo more so Alley Agate than Cac.and i'm sure this could be debated. DB.

Yours are made of Malachite, and yes they look rather crudely formed, looks like someone was practiceing, a very soft material, and the dust is Very Toxic, DB.

Agree with Bill here, but also row 2 marble in the 4th position blue and purple on white could be Champion as well. DB.

Steph is correct, Champion Hot Wheels. DB.

Cool Backlit.