Marbleized

Wow, thanks! Lots of great information! I’ve actually seen a mint+ on eBay and thought that it was an error. I’ve also noticed that the rating scale might change over time for some sellers. A subjective thing. The best advice is, as you say, you have to judge for yourself. Thanks again!

Thanks for sharing! In my dream my hubby hands me a mint condition Vitro aquamarine... but I can’t complain because even though he is not into my hobby, he puts up with my growing collection that touches each corner of our abode. Besides, he’d probably get a beach ball cat eye because it looks so stereotypically cool for a marble. Haha!

I noticed that I'm posting to really old posts, thus I'm so ecstatic that people still reply back! Question--are there knock-off moonies? I'm hoping the answer is "no" because I just purchased one that is so amazing--blue spot and orange glow-- and I have it "front and center" on my glass shelf.

Is that a Vitro?! I would never have been able to ID that. If I had to give it a nick name, I'd call it the "heliconia slice" or "the fluke".

Whoa, I was thinking of focusing in Peltiers, but after seeing all those great photos of amazing Vitros I'm back at "undecided".

Besides that amazing price, it makes me feel a bit nostalgic seeing that "G" in the word "glass" higher than the other letters. Typing was such a feat, now that I'm thinking back . . . . Great save!

I guess every buyer looks for different things. I always think it is so interesting to see how creative some sellers can be. Kind of like how someone said, "Hey, that looks like a turkey head!" Now everyone seeks them out.

I just got some awesome info from "Vrons" (thank you) about purchasing marbles and how condition is important in order for a marble to hold and grow in value. It also sounds like, no matter how objective collectors try to be, "mint" has different meaning to different collectors. So another question comes to mind. Is a marble "mint" if it has production flaws like weird seam lines and small pin holes? Just wondering what the general consensus is about this and if I should just avoid these "mint" marbles listed online, from an investment point of view. Thank you!

Thanks for the valuable info on value. I'm not quite at that tipping point on just buying mint condition marbles because I really don't have a whole lot of experience on what it is in a mint marble that I am looking for. Some sellers seem to consider a marble with production flaws still mint. I've purchased some of these, but now I'm not sure if that would be a good investment. I don't think I am ready or deserving of even a $50 marble, yet. I can see what you are saying, being that a lot of collectibles come and go and only the mints hold any value, if at all. I should start to look for shows in my area. Nothing like actually holding the marble that you are about to purchase. Thanks again for sharing!

That actually would be great, but I haven't seen anyone online state it in such a way. I think that I should just avoid mint condition marbles and be okay with the flaws. LOL!

WOW! Truly amazing! Thanks for the suggestion. There were so many more ideas in your suggested "marbles window" search that weren't included in my "marble display" search! Yes, I totally agree that a double paned window to drop marbles into would be a show-stopper! That would have to use some strong glass. It would probably get pretty heavy. I would fill it with as many bubbly peltiers as I could find! Another dream...Thanks for the great suggestion!

Thanks everyone for all the great responses! I am constantly learning. I've been reading on it, but it helps to hear the experiences of others and the added knowledge that everyone has. I'm am making my share of mistakes. If I were to put my marbles on a flat surface, I'm sure a good number of them would go rolling without any help! But in the world of marble collecting where there are so many variables, I guess it is to be expected. The Marble Connection community are awesome people. There are so many people willing to share what they know. You are the best!

Steph, you and your team are such great moderators. Just had to say . . .

I just had to comment! Awwwwww! What a pretty cat! Nice akroware, too. My husband would leave me if I started another collection! So I'll just have to admire everyone else's collection. Thanks for sharing!

I remember, when marbles were making a come back where I lived (one or two decades ago-lol) and schools soon after started banning marbles because the marbles that the kids had would splinter into dangerous shards. I don't remember kids splintering marbles back when I was in elementary school, about 4 decades ago.

Thanks everyone for giving me feedback. I totally agree that more info is always better. I guess, as a consumer, I can always ask questions before purchasing. I'm not at the point of selling anything. I guess I posted the question of reconditioning because I have a few out-of-rounds that I purchased online and was wondering if that is considered a flaw, or if it is like an "as made", or if they were reconditioned. Thanks again.

What a great find! I need to get moving! If I don’t seek, I’ll never find. 😛

Thanks! I had just asked about whether polishing was frowned upon by serious collectors before I read your reply. It sounds like the marble won't be the same after being polished, even when evenly round.

That's another topic that I wonder about as a novice collector. If the marble looks mint to the naked eye, but not under a loupe, could you still call it mint? I look at my marbles and even if they are not mint under a loupe, I think they look gorgeous and I display them as if they are mint. If I ever decided to sell them, I don't think I'd be able to sell them as mint without saying something like "mint to the naked eye, but . . ." Do serious collectors frown upon polished marbles even if they are done well?

Wow! What an amazing find! That's almost like winning the lottery!!! (Almost . . .)

I’m not sure. So I was wondering if reconditioning might be a possible reason for their uneven shapes.

Thank you! These are a few of my favorites

Thanks!

I'm so sorry to hear of Leroy's passing. My apologies. I was just wondering about why some marbles are out of round and wondered if the reconditioning process might be a cause. Also, my message was written with machine mades in mind. I have a few peltiers that are out of round. Thanks!

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to comment that the people on the list must be masters at the art of reconditioning marbles. Leroy's pics of the marbles he's worked on look like new. I was wondering if the reason some machine marbles are out-of-round is because someone was not quite an expert at this. Or is it the nature of reconditioning where it nearly impossible to keep that perfectly round shape? Or is it that the off-shaped marbles were rejects from the factory and found in dugs?