Alan

I am sincerely missing the heart of this complaint. If you like the new run Jabos - then buy some if you find some that the price seem right. Don't like them? Okay - don't like them.... which I guess means you may not buy them. Don't like culls? Then sponsor a run ($$$) and you call the shots. Give the cull to Andy Davis who makes good use of them. Don't like slightly OOR or other problem pieces? Don't buy them. The nice thing about living in a free market economy as we do is that the market ultimately decides what the price will be. Some will sell higher - some lower. Don't like the asking price? Just like vintage - don't buy it. Don't like Jabo culls/dug Akro? Don't buy them. Trying to tell someone who is financing a run what to produce, how to produce it and how to sell it is ridiculous. Want a say in it? Then get some skin ($$$) in the game. Don't want to do that? Then step back. Complaining about it doesn't cause the slightest impact. For the record I have never been part of a Jabo run - but I would never presume to tell another man or woman what to do with his/her money or business. Its a matter of respect and minding one's own business. Whats next? Government-mandated regulations on Jabo runs? IMO, YMMV, LSMFT

Yes - but there always seems to be room for more for some folks when it come to Jabo runs.

Good article - thanks for posting it. Its a good day when marbles and marble-making are in the print media.

It was on the History Channel. Its known as the "Eye of Akro". Ancient diggers worshiped them and passed-on great tales of their power and value.

My personal opinion is that the original post is structured like a term paper assignment and asks others to do a lot of work, thinking and writing. That sets the bar pretty high and I think is the reason that there have been no responses to it.

Thanks for posting these. In the third issue/ad - they use the term "ring men" to describe the largest marbles Akro made. That is the first time have encountered this term traceable back to the Akro company's official use. That is an interesting fact for future reference. I assume they are referring to 7/8 - 1" diameter. Over time - names have been invented by people in the hobby to describe specific marble styles. I think that such inventions slowly take us further away from the history of these companies, their marbles and the naming conventions that were used in the day they were produced. In any case - I'm going to look through the other ads to see what might be learned. Thanks again, Alan

I think that they are in the same place they have always been.

I have no idea what a "marble venture" is.

I'm not seeing oxblood - just brown.

Personally - I would call those two color. The additional "colors" are blends of adjacent glass colors.

Without criteria - any nominations become a pointless, unfocused popularity contest.

I measure a man or woman by their character - not by the size, content or supposed value of their "collection". What one owns is no reflection upon their knowledge or contribution to this hobby. A large or small collection is a poor crutch for an ill-considered remark.

Look up the term "Graal Technique".

Akro Sparkler with heavy aventurine:

How many runs have there been in April? It seems like quite a few.

Ravenswood was very consistent about using a bright, pure white for their bases. In contrast, most Champions I see have a gray-ish white.

I agree with Les.

Like most marbles - this "aventurine" is simply excess colorant (metal salts) that precipitated out. In other words - they added too much colorant.

I agree that the second is a Simpson Inhabited Planet - bit something is not quite right about it. Josh doesn't normally release pieces that look like that. Perhaps it is some very early work.

I picked these up about 10 days ago. They are either Christensen or Jabo.

Email them to me and I'll post them for you.

What was it originally?

I (unfortunately) sold it many years ago. It was said to be a German machine made. There were a couple running around back in that day - all believed to be German/European. Nothing about it in hand suggested contemporary. I'd love to own another.