Alan

Almost all buyers will find cold rolls and imbedded debris as making the piece less desirable. Consequently it will negatively impact the value.

A "pin prick" is a chip.... just a nice word to describe a very tiny chip and not use the "C" word". A surfaced bubble - like a chip - decreases the marble's condition, and therefore value.

It sounds like a cold roll. Pic?

Photo of the marble?

Size? Condition? Colors? Photo?

Yes - they have been dug at at least one Marble King site.

http://marbleconnection.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=16347

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/world-priciest-marbles-160110204.html

Take a well-focused photo in groups of ~15-20 and post them here.

I regret that due to abuse by other board members, unchecked by a mod who simply watches it and allows it to continue, I have decided to remove this content. While Moderators may humor abuse, I will not.I regret that others will not benefit from it in the future.

Along that line.... I regret that due to abuse by other board members, unchecked by a mod who simply watches it and allows it to continue, I have decided to remove this content. I regret that others may not benefit from it in the future.

(Unfortunately, I have chosen to remove this ID content due to unchecked behaviors by others on this board. Moderators choose to humor it, but I will not. My apologies to those who will not benefit from it in the future.)

You can find vintage and contemporary marbles ranging from $5 - to a few thousand dollars. I recommend that as you begin - you disregard the expensive marbles and focus on reasonably priced, affordable pieces. Collect what you like - and try to look for "sleepers".... marbles that haven't yet risen to the level of "the cool thing". You can buy pretty nice vintage and contemporary marbles at the $5 level. You just have to look around. The good deals are at shows - not on Ebay.

I would skip the book and go to a marble show. Trying to learn marble identification from a book usually ends up with the vast majority of marbles misidentified. The reason is that a book cannot hope to show more than about 30% of a marble's surface pattern - and cannot begin to illustrate the variances in pattern, color etc. over that types production life. IMO it would take a huge series of books chock full of expensive color plates to attempt to break this paradigm. Beginning collectors/people trying to self-appraise tend to match by color - and the result is usually wobbly with a tendency to misidentify to a high-value variety. The diversity of marble varieties and manufacturers is a challenge for novices to appreciate - its huge. There is no substitute for holding a marble in hand and turning it in good light to appreciate the nuances that affect identification. Once the ID is accurately made - then grading comes in and has a large effect on value. Grading is also something that IMO cannot be learned from a book. If you are trying to identify a group of marbles - you can bring them to a show or post clear, well-focused photos here for accurate feedback.

The photos aren't good enough to read and the piece itself is of fairly unremarkable design that doesn't point to any maker I know.

Like a 30-second bull ride!

I think that is a function of your browser - not the forum.... unless the forum isn't setting a persistent cookie.

A certain person has used this method for 15 years that I know of. You should know that the material doesn't have the slick feel of glass. Once brand that I know of yellows over time and exposure to sunlight (UV).

Possibly a punty with off-color glass on it. Or they burned the glass as they were necking it down. I suspect the former given the era it was made.

A couple more of mine:

I have a fair group. The Tie Dyes are the only ones I have a pic of at the moment.

Killer!

Years ago - "as made" became a weak-kneed, weasel-word excuse by some trying to sell a marble with a flaw.... as if it made the flaw somehow more acceptable.

They look like they are from a game ..... like mancala. Sort of that sea glass texture - probably from tumbling.