William

Marble on...liking the sound of that! It would be fun too attend events like that. Did a rock show last year, it's like a kid in a candy store. Literally awestruck by the gorgeous agate specimens I examined. I could imagine the marbles at such a show, a palithera of tiny works of art! One day I can hopefully attend one. Thanks for the conversation, your a standup guy for sure, along with others I have corresponded with during my brief time here. Marble on indeed!

I rarely travel very far, basically staying in the extreme southeast Minnesota area. Lots of small towns with the closest cities being Rochester and Lacrosse, Wisconsin. Both are about an hour drive. With work (caregiver and sporting goods manufacturer) and the home life don't get many chances too go very far. Pretty much have to settle for poking around the nooks and crannies of the neighboring towns when time allows. Still fun when I can do it. 😊

I just enjoy the thrill of the chase, at the same time staying within my budget. I won't necessarily look at it as blowing money. Once I can differentiate the commons from the keepers, I won't mind giving a little kid a smile with a handful of marbles. I collected football cards for close to 30 years, busting boxes or busting packs looking for the rarities. That thrill of the chase. I've kept most, selling only a handful over the years. Once I have a better grasp of marble knowledge, I'll probably seek out individual pieces I like that make investment sense. But I'll probably still grab that random jar just for fun and that thrill of the chase. I dabbled with antiques for a few years, it was nice extra income, around $1,000 or so a month (Ebay, got out of that due to time demand) I also have kept some of my antique finds too. With marbles, I won't be selling any of the higher value ones when I do acquire them or find them. They'll be passed down with everything else I have. I think it's going to be a nice, casual hobby, along with agate hunting. The fun factor will be definitely acquiring the knowledge from you folks! Thanks again for your comments, Ron. They are appreciated!

Nice, I'll be looking into improvements soon for sure, thanks for this info!

I was just agreeing on the Sweet pea character from popeye when I said that so you know. Wish it was a sweet pea though! Thanks again for confirming the MK identification. Maybe I'll find some more here in a couple days. Have 3 more jars I'm picking up at an antique mall Friday 😊

Ok, thanks for the clarification! I did get a hold of some calipers at work and it measured 11.04 mm. I measured what was called the Japanese pincher and it was 11.29 mm. The clear glass with some inner swirls measured 9.68 mm. Thanks again for the input everyone!

Glad I stumbled upon this post while surfing through the various columns on this site. Now I know for sure that I am dealing with good people here. First impressions were great for me and now seeing how a potentially avoidable problem/issue is dealt with was satisfying. Well handled.

Thanks for the input...yeah the lighting in my house is tough too play with but I will work on it and the picture quality. I plan on picking up a new phone sometime soon so hopefully that also helps to improve my picture quality along with the tips. Mine is going on 3 years old and is of average quality. It struggles at times to focus. Thanks again! It doesn't show up very well in the picture but the mega catseye has a nice pearly sheen too it's surface. Really pretty.

Oh boy that's funny! I just streamed the Popeye movie starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall not too many days ago on roku! 😄 Sweet Pea it is!

Thank you for info, folks. I have yet too pick up some new calipers but I can take it to work today. I work at Miken Sports where they manufacturer composite softball bats and baseball helmets (the ones you see mlb players wearing on television!) We use calipers too measure router depth at the barrel end of the bat. I'll stop by the cnc today and get a measurement and let you know 😊

Thanks for the photo tips folks, I'll work on it 👍...gotta say, glad I joined! My first impressions after corresponding and viewing different forums here is great!

Thanks, Chad!

Hopefully a better view 😊

What do you think? I'll have to pick up calipers but the tape should give a general idea on size. It's tough finding a good spot in this house for pics, working on it though.

Sorry about the low quality pic, it's early 😊

Thought I would show these before heading to work. They came mixed with other marbles in a jar. Any thoughts on manufacturer or time frame?

Antique stores are pretty plentiful around here 😊 I've picked up about 10 jars the last month or so, still sorting and trying to identify. Good too know I for sure my limited knowledge is working out!

Here's a few pics of some I picked up this past weekend

Thank you, Ric! Glad to be a part of the group! With work and such it might prove tough to be on here every day, even though I would love to, but will pop in when I can! I am posting from Mabel, Minnesota. Indiana? My home state, was born in Indianapolis. Lived in Jacksonville, Florida half my life and moved here in 93'

I have been looking for a group or forum too join since I started collecting late last year...I have been a rockhound for some time, which led me to adding marble collecting too my hobbies. As I was getting accustomed to the ins and outs of the forum I figured I better pop in here and say hello! Looking forward to sharing, learning and observing!