Alan

If anyone has a photo of him - I'd appreciate it.

Thats a light lavender. And yes - I've seen a few.

I'm too busy to ever be bored (Among others....)

If it were me - I'd take the easy way and email photos of anything in question to the Bessets. They know their work and can tell you rather easily without looking at the signature. I'm in Tampa right now and can't take photos. My very small Besset mica pieces are unsigned, as it would deface the piece. Their bas relief engraved cameo pieces as well: I have a very large Besset piece (below) that i don't recall how is signed because it was a special multi-stage production project with another artist (IIRC).

German

A bit odd - but appear German. Pontils are right.

German antique

The ones signed Besett are just that. No guess on the other ones as the styles are not unique to any artist's style. I said "did" because I was at those shows and know them both. I can't say about shows since as I haven't attended those. That show seems to have shifted considerably to almost all torch work.

I don't believe the first few sigs are the same as the last. The last ones appear to be Harry and Wendy Besett. They did attend a few of the Wheaton Village events.

Now that....is poetic.

Given that the 'air" was from glass components (including colorant and other additives) at ~1,500 degrees F - I see bubbles as more of a result of the chemical process - than from ambient air. No-one stirs ambient air into the batch intentionally.

Not Akro to my eye. Not Akro glass, not Akro style mold (top or bottom), no apparent Akro pressed logo, accent glass flow is minimal. Looks like Houze.

Thank you

I don't have a sense of the machine cost - was referring to the "per marble" retail prices quoted (2, 3 & 5 cents per marble). Were they in line for that year?

Do the prices seem out of kilter for that year to anyone else?

I heard of this days ago and was saddened to hear the news. I met Mike when he first came to an Ohio show to offer the (then new) Jabo Classics boxes. Mike took a leap of faith that there would be collector appeal - and I can say that the initial reception was quizzical and cool. Antique and vintage collectors didn't quite know what to make of mass-produced modern marbles in nicely organized boxes. The initial asking price per box was low, and I think there were not so many early buyers of the Classics boxes - as vintage collectors tried to grapple with the very new idea. It is one thing to have an idea - and another to make it real and navigate the myriad of challenges that go with bringing a small facet of change to an established field. Mike had the creative idea and the willingness to take the chance to sell into a collector market overwhelmingly dominated by antique and vintage collectors. That took confidence and some risk-taking. Over time - many collectors came to accept this unique idea and packaging approach as a new dimension to the marble collecting hobby. It was a visually artistic way to showcase a modern manufacturer's production in rows reminiscent of vintage retail boxes. It gave collectors a way to snapshot both the consistency and the diversity of one marble color type in neatly arranged rows - without needing to assemble examples from multiple sources over time. For students of marble making, it showed glass flow, color variation and consistency over a relatively short window of time. Mike's approach to organizing and presenting those qualities in a sealed box with a clear cover gave collectors something we hadn't had before. They are visually appealing and yet simple in their packaging. They tell a story. Mike continued producing boxed sets over a span of years, giving collectors a diverse series of sets to choose from and collect. His work in producing these boxed sets, taken as a whole, tells a story spanning years of marble production. In one way it is a rich snapshot of modern machine-made marble production, well organized and presented. Mike Warnelis did a great service for current and future marble collectors in bringing his idea to life and putting many of these sets in our hands. As we have learned in collecting antique and vintage toy marbles, the significance of specific marble types, packaging and ephemera take time to be fully appreciated. It takes multiple generations of collectors to study, discuss and appreciate collectibles to their full potential, and I believe this is true of toy marbles. I believe that Mike's work has quite some time before it is fully appreciated for its full impact. Marble collectors and the marble collecting hobby have benefited from Mike's creativity and willingness to take the step in producing these many boxed sets over the years. Current and future collectors are better for his time among us and for the gifts that he has given us. Alan Zimmerman

Wait - are you looking for era photos of kids playing - or photos of GIs playing?

Its modern.

Soak them in water for a week or two before attempting removal. The metal corrosion can and will act as an abrasive as it is removed.

Its 5/8". Its from an Akro Salesman's case (pulled to photo).

It is.