Al Oregon

I emailed Alan and here was his reasoning: My explanation was that some Peltier marbles could fall into either category, NLR or rainbo..I would consider these transitional from one to the other. What convinced me that this one was earlier, and therefore probably NLR, are the colors and quality of the glass, which to my eye are superior to what one would expect from the cheaper war-era glass used by the company. That said, I may be wrong--it wouldn't be the first time--but I have to go with my gut. ~~~Alan

Now to really confuse you, look at these that I have. Different color header on one; a couple Playday labels that are similar plus a newer Playtime pkg (there are a variety of these latter one swith different locations - may not be related to older Playtime but might be an older jobber or toy company used name...?)

I think Alan noted somewhere that a lot of Alox's empty bags, marbles, headers were sold at auction when they closed (kind of like with Champion and their Milton Bradley, Nationwide, etc. headers) and then the bags were filled afte the fact with Alox marbles and, when they ran out, othe company marbles - primarily MK from what I have seen in bags. Some of hte Coca Cola mesh bags were the Alox 'filled' bags. Probably Weather-Bird also.

That is sad news. I met Jim at the WVMCC Show a couple of years ago. mY prayers go out to his family. (Note to Lou - don't forget to put this in the other forum when it's 'completed').

Beautiful - thanks for en'lightening' us!

What's interesting to me is that you do not see any of he xcolorful sunbursts in any of Master's bag packaging, whether it'd be the 1933 Century of Progress mesh bags, Shooting Star Mesh bags or on up through the polybags. You mainly see meteors, comets and other relatively 'plain jane' type of marbles. I see sunbursts in their boxes, etc. but not bags. I'm assuming that they were the more 'cherished' marbles and cost more to make so they went into the gift boxes, etc. and not into the 'playing' bags.

That is a tragedy! My thoughts to his friends and family. What beautiful marbles!

Is this the type of bag you are talking about, Edna? It's packed away so I can't check the yellow to see if like the one pictured.

Yes, that picture was sent to me by Kevin Wiersig (I think, although Kevin Stump also had Vacors) from his collection. Here are two other pictures showing his Atmosphere collection.

I was just reading that article on my AOL home page - obviously didn't realize the connection - that's a tragedy no matter who it is but seems even more so when there is a connection to our hobby.

And here's a picture of the Red Horse bag

Sorry - didn't see the request before. Here's a picture of Spinners Bag (not mine) and a broken one that I have.

Foreign cat's-eyes were of notorious poor quality at times. This leads to a lot of 'other than normal' marbles. For example, the third pic down - the red/orange, blue & white - is a 9 vane cat's-eye with one of the blue vanes either gone or too faint to readily see. Therefore, it looks like an 8 vane. That's an example of what I personally call an error, not really an 8 vane cat's-eye. Nonetheless, I collect 'error' marbles, too, so I have some like that in my collection. Similarly, in the 5th pic down, it looks like there might be 4 yellow vanes so someone could call that a 10 vane cat's-eye but it's jsut another 'error'. Great pictures by the way - the rest are not 'error' marbles but specific types (in case anyone was thinking I was saying all of those were errors).

Here's a picture that Patry posted of one she had (back in May 2003)

Good info - thanks!

Yes, those are my bags and pics (although I do have other pics from a lot of other colelctors)

Yes, those are my bags and pics (although I do have other pics from a lot of other colelctors)

Couple other pics - first one by TMJ in 2001 and other by Alan back in 2002

Like Chris said, I haven't heard of any 'fake' Vitro Blackies being made but obviously people can ID marbles incorrectly so some of the Vacors, etc. might have 'blackie' traits. Here are pics of two basic Vitro Blackies bags. The latter is one with marbles that, in the wild and not in a bag, might be hard to ID as Blackies.

I won't post pictures of all the bags (unless some one wants some) but Vitro was a primary one in naming marbles in their packaging - from Victory, Conquerors, Spinners (?), Checkers and Chinese Checkers to Whities, Blackies, All Reds, Cat Eyes, Aqua Jewels, Exotic Gems, Tiger Eyes and Yellow Jackets. Then Marble King had their Rainbows, Marine Puries, Big Boy(?), Cat's Eyes, Bowlers(?), Chinese Checkers, Crystals, Rainbow Reds and Marine Crystals. Peltier had their Cat's Eyes, Marine Crystals, Big Boy(?) and, of course, their Champion and Champion Jr (whatever those may have been intended to market?). Heaton had their Marine Gems and Royal Immies(?). Ravenswood had their Paul Bunyans and their Buddy or Buddies(?). Akro had Hot Shot & Hy-Grade bags (what did they mean?). Vacor and Mega named everything. And, of course, the rest had their Cat's Eye named bags. And, someone else can do the names from the boxes.

Here's the posts on Pete's Land of Marbles Board about Stan some were from non-collectors that he gave marbles to and knew in other ways. West Coast 'Marble Man' passes on We lost a marble friend this past weekend. Here the article from the Daily Astorian (Astoria, Oregon). I would vist Stan each time I was up in Astoria. He will be missed. 11/28/2006 11:23:00 AM The Daily Astorian file 'Marble Guy' dies in slippery accident in Washington Stanley Brown, marble shop owner in Astoria, gave away free marbles to show his kindness and give people luck By KARA HANSEN The Daily Astorian A 64-year-old Astoria man known to many as the "Marble Guy" died Saturday when his pickup slipped off an icy Washington road and plummeted into a ditch, settling upside down in several feet of water. Stanley M. "Stan" Brown was headed south on the Astoria-Naselle bypass with his fiancée, Roshelle Jones, 41, of Longview, Wash., when he lost control of his vehicle near Bean Creek. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Family members said Jones remained in a hospital Monday after suffering hip and neck injuries. The owner of a marble shop in downtown Astoria, Brown had become a local fixture of sorts since moving to the area several years ago. He manned booths at Astoria's Sunday Market and at the Saturday Market in Ilwaco, Wash. He even appeared in the locally filmed "Ring II" during a market scene. But sales weren't Brown's priority, family members said Monday. Whether at his store, at a market or walking along a downtown sidewalk, he insisted on handing out "lucky marbles" to anyone he passed. Brown's pockets rattled with the tiny glass spheres, and his store was filled with them, some also made of clay, metal, resin, rubber and wood. His grandson Stuart, 16, of Naselle, said Brown likely gave away more marbles than he sold. "He wanted to give away a million lucky marbles before he went," the teenager said. "I think he oversucceeded." The "lucky marbles" offered Brown a chance "to show kindness and to give people luck, to get them back into marbles," said Stuart Brown. He often helped teach people to play marbles at his grandfather's booths, but the two also enjoyed road trips together through Washington and "adventures" in the forest, where they would watch birds, examine insects and discuss astronomy. Stan Brown also liked to fish and was an umpire for many years. But life wasn't always so happy-go-lucky for the marble enthusiast. Family members said Brown, a native of San Francisco, was a rowdy youth, earning the nickname "The Jumper" after a bar brawl or two in Fresno, Calif. He satisfied some of his early wanderlust by hitchhiking and by riding the rails - he was a skilled box-car jumper, family said. Those behaviors bowed toward free love as he grew into adulthood. Brown eventually went through two marriages, raising a daughter, two sons, two stepsons and a stepdaughter. He started refinishing antique furniture before moving to Spokane, Wash., where he opened a moving business. But some of his younger years' unhealthy habits lingered. Overcoming heavy drinking gave Brown a lot of pride, said his stepfather, Max Jones. "He had a complete change of life when he quit drinking," Jones said. "It worked for him, and he'd tell other people about it, too. He liked to tell people, 'That's what you've got to do.'" Camille Brown, a registered nurse in Naselle and the eldest of his three children, agreed her father was a strong advocate of 12-step programs, noting a memorial service will likely be held soon at an Alcoholics Anonymous club in Washington. But he helped many people throughout his life, she added. "He'd offer food to the homeless," she said. "My dad never passed judgment on a single soul. He saw the love in everybody that passed his life." After conquering his drinking problem, Brown, then in his 40s, attended community college in Seattle, where he studied environmental science. It was there he also rekindled an interest in marbles, teaching younger students about the game while selling tiny glass globes painted with Earths. Those embellished orbs were among his most treasured. Using a technique that he attributed to Doug Anderson, some of his favorite painted and screen-printed marbles sit in the back of his shop, a miniature marble museum, which he opened when he moved to Astoria. Joyce Compere, manager of Astoria Sunday Market, said Brown was also a strong supporter of local youths. "Stan was remarkable with young people in this community," said Compere. "Young people who didn't fit in - he made a place for them; he put out his hand and didn't lose patience with them. He employed them, giving them job skills, social skills." She said she hired two young men through Brown for odd jobs. And she laughed recounting his initial proposal for a market booth, which she said took her off-guard. "I said, 'Stan, I don't think marbles are a 21st-century product.' He said, 'No, just give me a chance and we'll have fun with this. We'll get kids involved,'" Compere explained. "And he did." She said plenty of lucky marbles scattered throughout her drawers will help to remember Brown. "He was quirky, and funny, loving and concerned about the Earth and the people on it," Compere said. "I will miss him terribly." Brown often visited family in Spokane, in Rosburg, Wash., and in Naselle. He was headed back to Astoria from one of those gatherings when his truck crashed just after Thanksgiving. When family members ventured out to the site about two miles from their home to place flowers in his memory, they found that Brown had left behind some of his familiar possessions. In the ditch near Bean Creek where the 64-year-old perished, his grandson spotted a sack filled with little balls of glass. "I found some of his marbles," Stuart Brown said. --------------------------------- 11-29-2006 #2 Nadine What a sad, yet wonderful story, you can't help but miss people like this. Nadine -------------------------- 11-30-2006 #3 catfish Montana Marble Hunter I have goosebumps. Thanks for sharing that Al. __________________ HAPPY COLLECTING, DERRICK ---------- Hello, I met this marble man on a trip from Canon Beach to buy fresh fish for dinner. He sold me some marbles and he then gave me one of his shooter logo marbles which I am looking at right now. It says Marble Mouse House on one side and the biggest little marble store west of the mississippi on the other. I remember one of his daughters being there as well, and she was showing me her latest find of marbles in a sack. There were some old Acros and a few older Vitros. She was just beaming. I was completely surprized at how nice and laid back these two buisness people were during my visit to the marble store. Yes, he 'learned me' a thing or two about the subject, and I just can't believe he is gone. My deepest Sympathy goes out to the family. Warmest Regards, Roger Alfrey Unregistered ----------------------------------- 3 Weeks Ago #6 schmoozer We have a place on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington and traveled into Astoria on a regualr basis to go antiquing. I stopped in his shop once and he gave me a free "world" marble, which I still carry in my car. He struck me as a very genuine, caring person, one who was always willing to talks to stangers. I hope someone carries on the business. __________________ Still learning the game... schmoozer -------------- 3 Weeks Ago #7 lstmmrbls Super Moderator He was one of a kind. And will be missed by all that met him. Peace,Galen lstmmrbls 3 Weeks Ago #8 nervisnjerky we have friends on the peninsula,also,and this summer my wife went up there to visit and to get in some antiquing in Astoria.She brought home this lucky marble from Stan. I wish I could have met him.We are both saddened by his unfortunate passing.God bless him.matt and deanne reilly Attached Images nervisnjerky ----------------------------- 2 Weeks Ago #9 Unregistered i knew stan since 1984 he gave me my first job. stan was an amazing person looked like us grant on the fifty dollar bill all i can say is the world has lost a great man and a true friend hard to believe of all the things that almost killed stan over the years i never would have guess it would have been in a car several years ago stan had heart surgery six veins had to b replaced and he told the doc the day he was there can i come back next week im busy with a marble show to the freinds and family of stan my friend wow im sorry my name is mark perry junior thanks for reading Unregistered ------------------------------ 1 Week Ago #10 Unregistered My name is ShelliDawn. I owned an espresso cart in Auburn,WA from1992 untill 2005. Stan Stan The Marbel Man was a cherished friend and very much a part of local culture at the cart. I met him for the first time in the early 90's when he approched me with his marbels and advertising ideas for my business. Over the years he brought me marbels with a varrity of sayings from "call for the best coffee in town" to "for a drink and a weink" and several that had nothing at all to do with business. He even made commenorative marbels for the 10th anniversary of Sorellas and of course attented the anniversary festivities. He must have just returned to WA from San Francisico for the party, because he brought some of the BEST Pastry I ever tasted from a bakery owned by his sister and brother inlaw who lived in the Bay Area. After I sold the espresso business a couple of years ago Stan still stayed in touch. Last spring he stopped by my house in Tacoma on one of his trips. My mother was staying with me as she was ill suffering from cronic bronchitus. Stan went to the store and came back with ginger root and honey and showed me how to make tea for my mother. My mom showed remarkable improvment and avoided taking antibiotics for the first time. Before Stan left he gave me a hand full of various size marbels printed with my signature. I was shoched at first at seeing my signature and then recalled several years earlier signing a peice of paper for him. He told me of his idea of using marbels for calling cards and obviously he had not forgotten about it as I had. I could go on and on with many more storys about enthusiasm and kindness, integrity and warmth, this man exemplified. He was smart and tallented. Once I was visiting him at his marbel warehouse in auburn and just before we walked out the door he sat down at the piano and started pounding the keys and belting out a song from sometime in the 30s or 40s. I had never known anyone to play or to sound as good as he sounded and apparently he did so "off the cuff" I only just heard the news a few hours ago and my heart is heavy with the feeling of loss. I know my loss is but a speck in the enormous loss to the his family and to the world. What a wonderfull if encentric individual. He will remain with me always in spirit as I can only aspire to be half the person that he was. Unregistered

Mike Johnson is usually pretty accurate on his information, especially since Dave is still around. Maybe Steve or someone can contact Dave and find out when he started the classic runs at Jabo?

I had ordered mine back in November. Schiffer said it would be out mid-January so looking forward to getting mine - may be in the mail today...

Nice bag! Yes, it is rare. I've seen pictures of a couple similar bags but they did not have the tag, just the header on the mesh bag with marbles. If you are going to sell it. like on eBay, post the link on the board when you do.

So sorry to read about Guy's passing. I just got back from holiday vacation so just responding now. I never had a chance to meet Guy either but enjoyed the few email conversations we had and the interaction on the boards. God bless him and his family!