PittsburghMarbles

I just had another incredible score and at a price that I will prob never see again. Was able to go through an older guys collection that he was getting rid of. He didn’t know much about marbles but he sure had some killers and these are the ones I picked out. Among the best are 2 Indians, a rare teal solid core lutz, 2 absolutely stunning CACs, a very rare blue Leighton marble, a huge Pelt NLR, a nice Ravenswood special and a ton of other great marbles.

Oops I meant Tuesday, I don’t know what day it is anymore as I’ve worked from home ever since rona began and everyday is the same now as work and home life all blends together now. Not saying I’d ever want to have to commute needlessly 40 minutes there and back again to the office ever again; even though I only live 5 miles away from the office; but it’s hard to distinguish days now. Damn near save myself 100 bucks in gas now every week and that’s 100 bucks more I can spend on marbles now. I hope the stupid covid fear to ever go back to the office lasts forever.

Well it’s 35 minutes til Wednesday so why not. Here’s a lot of my pelts.

Since I made that post I put out about half of my alleys and alley slag. Still have to find the other half that’s boxed away. And here’s our Lab puppy that’s ready to eat any marbles within her reach.. although she’s fairly well trained at this point to leave it upon command wherein there’s something she shouldn’t chomp on.

I just bought another shelf today, still need to buy another shelf to display all of my marbles. I have every marble company in the americas represented to the modern day, however I don’t have my CACs or vintage Vacors out yet. I also have a large collection of pre WW2 Japanese, antique Germans and most well known vintage European machine made marbles, lots of those are still boxed. I knew nothing about marbles 2 years ago but ever since I started to learn about them in 2019 I’ve been obsessed and have met many who are important in the marble community since I live only an hour away from WV and an hour from the earliest marble companies in the Akron/Canton region. Then I have to buy about 6 more shelves to properly display my antique bottle and general glass collection in our finished basement. I also need to buy some proper lighting. Eventually I want to buy lots of fancy museum grade glass displays but they are so expensive, like thousands each… Anyways, post your collection and displays for them. I just moved a few weeks ago so most of my stuff is still in boxes. And each week I add more and more marbles to my collection so it’s a never ending process of rearranging and the need for more shelving. Here’s my shelved collection as of now. My whole room is still full of antiques that I have yet to display properly. And we just got a dog so I can’t really take anything else out yet that’s boxed because she’ll eat it and or jump on it. On a side note, shelf is a strange word…

Found this nice Akro cork today.

Beautiful examples.

Thank you

In my first photo the two in front are definitely Kokomo’s. But the other two in the back I’m not sure on. I’ve had them identified as Kokomo’s for like a year and just now am getting around to seeing if they actually are. I have my doubts, they are prob just pelts…

I got obsessed with antique glass about 11 years ago when I was in college. I was a geology major so I would walk creeks and streams looking for fossils in Arkansas. One day I came across an odd bottle with the name of the town I went to school in. Later I would figure out that it was a rare 1890s Hutchinson bottle. Ever since then I was addicted to antique bottles. A few years ago after filling up my basement with antique bottles I started wondering about marbles as I would find them while digging and just thought hmmm, that’s cool but whatever. The first marble that hooked me was just a common master brushed patch that I found at a recently torn down house here in Pittsburgh. I thought it was pretty and figured someone would know something about it. So, I found a marble page on Facebook and was amazed that people knew what the marble was and where it came from. Now my marble collection encompasses every marble manufacturer in North America and most vintage manufacturers in Europe. I guess I’m obsessed with marbles because when I was a kid I was hardcore into birdwatching. And that’s all recognizing patterns and memorizing species. Marble collecting in my opinion is much the same as birding. It’s all about recognizing patterns and memorization, which I am enthralled with. So with my love of antique glass/history and memorizing birds it is like the best of both worlds, if that makes sense. The photo is of the marble that got me hooked. What’s your story?

Well I did find some sweet stuff today going down to Pennsboro, been getting super lucky lately with Akro ashtrays. Got all of these today down there. And visited the Champion marble factory site, there is literally marbles all over the public roads and sidewalks down there, found a couple nice swirls just on the sidewalk. Man how I would love to dig there. It’s a shame the factory is literally falling apart though, the roof is gone on the original factory and it doesn’t look like it will be standing much longer unfortunately. Seeing as it’s basically the last abandoned marble factory left, I sure wish someone would step in and preserve it. Maybe make it a museum for all of the marble history of West Virginia or something.

Going down to pennsboro, Cairo and Clarksburg today; have a feeling I’ll find nothing as I rarely find good marble finds in the heart of marble country. Must be because everyone down there knows about marbles and knows what some are worth so they get sucked up immediately. I always find the best stuff the further you get away from West Virginia it seems.

Just picked up this sweet Akro ashtray, aventurine and Oxblood. It does have a tiny little chip on the rim but it was 20 bucks and a really nice color combo.

Has anyone ever tried to build something like this? Or this Obviously the latter is extremely complicated and I dont think I could ever accomplish something so technologically and musically complex, but you get the idea. One of my friends has 3 kids under the age of 5 now and Ive been trying to get him and his kinds into marbles. I thought investing tons of time building something like this in my basement with him (since he's an engineer) would be a great way to get his kids and others into marbles and just into stuff other than phones and the internet. When I was a kid in the late 90s and early 2000s I built n-scale model railroads and went birding (atypical even then) while everyone else was playing X-box and N-64. I think to get kids interested in marbles and just other things is to show them how awesome something tactile could be and not just digital. I see little kids and even adults light up when they see the N-scale Western PA model railroad at Kennywood theme park every Christmas here in Pittsburgh. So building a large scale marble machine might get others interested in marbles and particularly the very young generations today.

Bought this marble game/run at a garage sale down in Sistersville, WV on Sunday. Dont know anything about it or how old it is. It only takes marbles less than 9/16ths. If I were to guess I would imagine its from the 1940s or so. Untitled by Pittsburgh Marbles, on Flickr Untitled by Pittsburgh Marbles, on Flickr Untitled by Pittsburgh Marbles, on Flickr

Just got this sweet buttmermilk today. s-l1600-6 by Pittsburgh Marbles, on Flickr

Yes 1960s-70s.

Got this in the mail this evening, not really a score more just a purchase, signed by Dave McCullough from 2003 from the Ohio Bicentennial. s-l1600-5 by Pittsburgh Marbles, on Flickr

Guess I should bust out my crappy vitro conquerors, etc that I would have thrown off the hill in my backyard for someone else to find in 60 years and make some money.

Has anyone noticed just in the past few months that eBay sellers have gone nuts and everything is way overpriced? I mean, even super common master brushed patches are going for ten bucks, common Akro corks are super high and common MFCs are going for 40 or more, etc? Whats the deal? I've given up on eBay and only find marbles driving to antique stores/estate sales and flea markets now. Earlier this year and before I was finding great deals everywhere but not anymore. eBay and online selling has gotten insanely pricey. Why?!?! Did everyone get into marbles due to rona shut downs, I don't know?

Oh no, why did you sell it (don’t gotta answer it if you don’t want to)? I’d die to be able to afford something like that! I feel jipped, I only got into marbles a few years ago and I’m only 33; I woulda loved to be able to find marbles in the early 2000s and late 90s when I was a kid. I’m sure there was tons of great deals to be had all the time when nobody but a few knew anything about marbles. I mean I still get very lucky with jars but have never found an original box of akros but once and that was in abandoned houses attic. It could be worse, instead of worrying about whether I can afford a marble or antiques every weekend; I could be worried about whether I can afford my car payment, food or mortgage/rent this month like most Americans have to worry about. So I guess I am lucky to be able to afford antique glass at all.

The best marble related thing I’ve ever seen is this incredible box of Akro sparklers; only in my dreams could I afford it. My best marble I own is probably this giant 2.1 inch end of day; got this sucker at a garage sale for 50 bucks; would never be able to afford one like it otherwise.

My favorite piece of glass I own is this rare tumbler made by Hobbs and Brockunier out of Wheeling, WV from the 1880s or so. I love wheeling peachblow, have a bunch of examples but this is my favorite. My most valuable single piece is probably this 1830s Pittsburgh/upper Ohio River Valley Demijohn that I got for 20 bucks when I lived in Arkansas ten years ago.

Nice

1st is pelt 2nd MK 3rd, I can’t tell because the photos are blurry.