hdesousa

Bernie, Nice marbles! Any idea how metalwork (soldering, brazing, etc) can be so expertly accomplished adjacent to glass, without fracturing the glass? Hansel

I feel like crying. Or maybe going back to collecting postage stamps. No one asks stamp collectors if they've licked (and hence ruined) mint stamps.

No need to speculate on the age of the marble (do you have any evidence it was not made in say 1875 or 1895?). The core could be entirely transparent blue. A light blue. There are many transparent colored glass marbles that are not very dark.

Jeroen, You misunderstood me. I did not comment on your "fused cane" description, not because I agreed with you, but because I don't know what to call it. I like MC Marble's description above, in comment #6. "a Latticino with just an off center core".

It does look as if they are making cube stock, out of limestone blocks. But if limestone, the cubes were not hand shaped on a wheel (ever seen agate type facets on a limestone marble?). The grinding wheels in the background diagram indicate the cubes were probably ground into toy marbles: LIMESTONE MARBLE(S): noun. Stone marbles made of limestone, ground spherical in water powered mills (similar to flour mills,) primarily in the Sonnenberg-Coburg region of Germany dating back to the 18th century. ..... http://www.americantoymarbles.com/glossary.htm Winnie, do you have the website this picture was taken from?

So what are these? They're hollow, but have thick walls. Two to three inches long, around 6 ounces in weight.

Yes, stoneware. But are they really imitations?

May be easier to see the different levels if you put the marble under water. (Use room temperature water to avoid causing any expansion/contraction fractures.)

This might be the same marble: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/423564

Winnie, it's good that your thinking of transitionals has changed. For the better, and closer to the truth I'm sure. That "Made in Japan" stamp is particularly informative, as is the mix of cut offs in the box. Several months ago I bought a solitaire set, supposedly "Made in England", and the marbles have the same mix of cutoffs.

Yes, AMT imitations, unless Akronmarble disagrees. Then what he says.

Imitation Navarres

If you add the word "First" in your search, more articles come up, this one with a different twist: http://books.google.com/books?id=kMcOAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA79&ots=TQB7q42ifq&dq=milton%20bradley%20first%20gift%20balls&pg=PA79#v=onepage&q=milton%20bradley%20first%20gift%20balls&f=false

No Winnie, not even that one. Fooled me too. Surprising how hard it is to tell just from the picture.

Too well made I should have said. It has some other function rather than a toy marble. Perhaps a caster ball? https://www.google.com/search?q=caster+ball&client=firefox-a&hs=Q6O&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=c_tiU7QGib3IAb3wgJgD&ved=0CF8QsAQ&biw=1280&bih=921 Seems non-toy marble look-a-likes were better made than your run of the mill toy marbles. Glass and agate marble beads, cane heads, cabinet door pulls, etc.

Oxblood's been around for a long time. Ancient glass beads and ceramic glazes have oxblood, otherwise known as sang de beouf. http://books.google.com/books?id=a8W2AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA775&lpg=PA775&dq=sang+de+boeuf+glass&source=bl&ots=pFeGn5MSA9&sig=7fiaV6kWoSImRPOpbkmvN80jh-o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=udJiU_bRJ62yygHP8YCQAg&ved=0CGMQ6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=sang%20de%20boeuf%20glass&f=false

I've got some better pics. There are two boxes filled will clearies. No.5 are 31 mm (1 7/32") and No.4 are 27 mm (1 1/16") The pontils are finished very well - as well as on the very nice marbles that are found on solitaire boards and on specimen large marbles. I don't believe these were made for kids to beat up on. I have another box (unfortunately now empty) that held a dozen No.8 ffine Glassmarbles. I believe it held swirls.

Gnome, you're forgetting it's not that simple. From a thread you started: http://marbleconnection.com/topic/18628-slag-surprise/ akronmarbles Member Members Posted 08 October 2013 - 08:21 AM Nice American Cornelian marble. Red slags (Akro red slags, Cerise agates, etc) were colored with selenium - true 'oxblood' glass as known from MFC and Akro is made from copper - there is no continuum between the two. Copper ruby requires very specific heat treatment to develop the color on a predictable basis. Good information here as well: http://marbleconnection.com/topic/5371-oxblood/ Unfortunately the links and pics don't come up. Steph?

Thanks.

Actually, despite the seller saying about half the marbles have a colored base glass, none do. (The dark, smaller one is not a cateye) To me, the base glass in some of the board marbles look as colored as the amber base marbles in Steph's photo. What are you seeing that tells you the color is a reflection and not in the base?

I'm not sure of the correct terminology for cateyes. With sulphides, a colored glass sulphide implies the transparent glass is colored. If the internal figure is colored, it's a painted sulphide. If someone said to me the base of a sulphide was colored, I would think that would be describing part of the figure. In a hand made, colored glass swirl, the transparent matrix is colored. OTOH, with opaque marbles, the word 'base' describes the matrix, and I suppose that's the way you're using the term 'color-based' in cateyes, to describe the color of the matrix. So yes, using your terminology, my question is how many cateyes on the board have a color (transparent) base?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251511816774

So James F. Harris was their flying salesman in 1898. I just googled James F. Harris, Akron and found his namesake was killed just 2 days ago. Bizarre. http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/local/summit-county/2014/04/28/akron-two-charged-with-mans-death/8410705/

Ronnie, I doubt production marble makers were considered artists. Although prettier than the "homely and unbecoming" marbles previously available, these marbles were also made for kids to beat up. Factory workers banged them out, probably with little thought other than getting the job done as quickly as possible. If they were common, I doubt you'd consider them works of art.