Alan

Something is odd about that marble. Certainly odd for claimed Akro.

Agree - looks like it picked up some crud on the rollers. Possibly colorant.

Bob's points are all correct.

There is no such thing as a "same run" in machine mades. Certainly not in any standard Akro type. Sparklers were made for years. The whole point to the vintage marble trade was to standardize a marble design, and then produce it true to that type for as long as there was commercial demand. Marble makers didn't want variation in a marble type - which is why the refuse dumps were so so large. They threw away marbles that came out not true to the desired standard appearance.

They need to be larger than 1: dia. Almost 100% of them have an orange peel surface. I own one that is slightly larger than 1" dia. - but it is simply a large corkscrew and not a JR.

I knew Lonnie. I met him over the years at shows. He was a nice, gentle and friendly man who always had a kind word. I will miss him.

Thats quite a list. I did several from memory and they were all there. The Herculean effort would be to associate signatures/canes to the artist. There was a small version of that years ago - but I lost track of it. And quite a few either do not sign their work...or didn't sign until after some time. Truth is that many contemp artists produce for a while and then fade away...never to return.

"As made" = damage that I want you to think is somehow less important because of when I'd like you to believe it happened.

Atlanta Porcelains?

IMO - it doesn't pass the Popeye test.

It looks like it was dipped. There was a substance (that I'd prefer to not name) that was used 15+ years ago to improve the surface of handmades. It was moderately good at concealing nicks, light wear and some subsurface moons. When applied - the surface wasn't the same feel as glass.

Significantly less - and generally far harder to sell.

IMO - the greater challenge in finishing what are classically referred to as "pontils" (which really aren't) - is controlling heat throughout the process. Vintage marble makers didn't have access to the kind of tool used today. Managing heat in the cane throughout the process took skill and experience - and careful time management. The center of the cane is always hotter than the outside. So necking-down has a differing effect for casing glass, outer decoration (color bands etc) and the core. And the larger the diameter of the cane the more heat was stored. And of course different glass colors have somewhat different melting points. Finishing what is referred to as the "pontil" is fraught with opportunities for imprecision. The first time I necked-down a 2" diameter cane I felt that 6 things were going wrong....heat, rotation speed, my pressure on the jacks, time....

Cane-cut handmades were not rocket surgery. They are generally not perfect in quite a few respects. That is because of how the cane is made - and more often - how each marble is necked-down, cut and finished. It was a volume business for a child's toy - so perfection wasn't the name of the game. The tools and the process were crude, the heat high and the pay low.

It is a cane-cut marble. There is nothing at either cut off point that strikes me as unusual.

Thats a very nice box.

Torch-made contemporary. The ribbon is usually made by flattening pulled canes.

Those would be well over $4.00/each marble delivered, assuming no customs charges!

IIRC (and I may not) - they are reminiscent of those contemporary marbles being sold out of Germany about a decade ago. I emailed them back then about purchasing - but never heard back.

It looks pretty similar. That is why I posted that photo. Since its your question - its your research/comparison ball to carry.