Jeff54

This is of the types MK began to make around 1996/7. It's what I call: 'Split patch' as it's like a 2 patch, but at that time they were trying to push it to become a patch and ribbon. Sizes can range from 5/8-1" The MK known as an 'Irish' is an old Paden City made, very late 1950's too early 1960's marble.

Yup! That image is a 2004 collage I put together of some of the ebay seller's (Wayne)who had acquired direct and virtually unsorted from one of the diggers who'd discovered them. Those and more were freshly dug out of a drainage pipe months before I got these 2004/5 . There were a few colors that were thought only CAC made: Brilliant near eclectic lime green in opaque and translucent, with a dark transparent brown/black which were believed to be very rare CAC years before this discovery. . A real Oddity red slag exactly same as a CAC Road and tunnel. Some also called exclusive CAC American Agate. Accordingly, The only red MFC made was Oxblood. Many that were confused as MFC. Blues, greens, yellow, orange, brown, chocolate, red, purple, lavender, grays and more. I do not have photos of all the different colors and or shades that I have. Akro was very busy with hand gathered color before the transition into modern automation. It makes a ton of sense too. By the early 1920, with all other companies doing the same thing, they had the market flooded to the extent, like cat eyes, kids were probably bored with them. Confused where those in light blue to be MFC Persian turquoise yet unlike MFC they are not solid opaque and not a color match for the shade MFC made to resemble, of the most valuable Turquoise which is: Persian turquoise gem stone.. No MFC Opaques in Jade, the purple is different and so too yellow. An Opaque lite blue mixed with gray, another mixed with a transparent blue and an aqua slag with small amounts of Oxblood. Clearies with opalescence orange hue when back lit. Akro Cornelians and others with the dark red Cornelian shade that are simi transparent. That red and back 9er is one. and more. As I have right about 100 of the dug-ups, practically more colors than I can list without photos of the full spectrum. There were only a few examples that I did not get. Regardless, there are many people claiming some are MFC which is wrong not because whether the 9 pattern is clear or not but none are MFC colors.

Shoot, I was hoping to complete the patch series with the black base Oxblood patch but couldn't get a good shot. So, in the mean time, here's the Cathy Runyan named 3/4" Chocolate Oxblood swirl:

I don't think super glue would go the distance on broken into 3 pieces marble. Seller's note: " The Guinea has a fracture and the three pieces have been reattached. "

I forgot to mention: They're rarely perfect for the more primitive conditions of manufacture, but It's best as-made mint condition as one could hope for. About 20 years ago, an USA eBay sale that didn't know any more than it's a slag. Australia: I've seen some Solitaire boards W/boxes and the sets many years ago. Was before paypal. I use to have photos of a few boxes, long lost inside crashed hard drive. Also, probably South Africa, places within the British empire, probably has some undiscovered treasures that the earth hasn't been scorched yet.

One of my favorites.

Actually, from MFC, Akro, CAC and Peltier it's near all the same for a 9 swirl is a result of the method used to gather the glass with punty rod. There are a few colors that MFC did not make but amber browns everybody did. However, this particular 9 shape was found to be pretty regular whenever Hand gathered slags, opaques and others were dug-up about 20 years ago at the Akro plant site. I do not think one could say, every time it's shaped like that, it must be an Akro but, I do that, for the evidence, the odds are higher than others:

Being that perfection 10 in a factory produced marble is next to impossible then; 9.9 is essentially declaring an as made defect.

I have a bunch of them. Clay, like a spongeware and not like Benington types rather, some kind of paint that chips off easy. . They are all over the place in German Ebay. I got mine 20 years ago, virtually free as I was hunting for Veggy flames and hand-mades; acquired all kinds of clay stuff as part of the deals.

So, here's some 4 color cat's I'd never seen before Ray Tretrick offered them for sale in 2009. He said they were very old and rare. With MK reproducing new like the old, I could not be certain. White, blue, yellow, green and some blending. Later he sold them at Ebay so, somebody has them now. Who knows, new or old?

Yeah, been way to long since I looked them up. At the time I saw them as '1994 'Last run champs' I have a small collection of the 1994 stuff that includes some hardly ever seen, and these, the more common, are in it.

Ha, yeah, It might have been a RR VHS. I forget though, except never forgot as they sold for quite a premium price. Seam in the left and the right shows it's not a single seam. The white spot, IDK except I made all the photos in 2003 and it must have gotten degraded for the old scratchy disk.

Electric red 'Lace' clear swirl: "Lace" like this is rarely ever seen or known of. That was the name of the very first had seen, either red or orange. This is red in hand but close up it's mixing with orange. Obviously not like others known as CAC lace, not even the same make-up if striped transparent or modern swirls. IDK Brian E or Les J. tagged em as 'Lace. 'Perhaps Danny Turner did it as it might have been one of his Running rabbit auctions whenever I'd first seen them. They are more distinctive than an Electric Orange Slag/Swirl with a lacy appearance verse layered or striped transparent.. Apparently fare more rare than any other CAC as today I looked thorough the archives and not one in it. A Ebay auction without reserve and poor photos claimed they were found in an old can in a garage, in Cambridge. One was claimed as a Cobra and all others as Christensen Agate. Word of warning: If you were to make that claim, dam well better shoot some clear photos! Been so long ago but I think Mike Rios was bidding and or I knew my competition was a extra high player. So, I knew odds might be slim if he could see what I hoped. This one photo was not clear but, hoped it was an Electric orange. There were one or two others but I only wanted to risk to get 1. While at it I sniped the cobra at last seconds 40 bucks or so. . Seller was so disappointed, end of auction as apparently, Mike, or?, and I were the only story gamblers on each auction sale. I was able to make out the black and white well enough and so, the seller added them at start price but got no bids $5 each to my final amount. Whenever I received the whole set, the near impossible was a dead-on nail. Everything but one (Blue and yellow) are fresh out of the old can mint! And curiously, potentially, province: the transparent green coral may be CAC too. Not easy to get a good photo of the Lace and the Cobra/Cyclone even harder, Whole set, last photo I took that, and you can see, those two are not easy to show em for what they are:

Yeah: 'Exotics'. I do not think very many people in the marble collector's forums actually got to see how many rejects and irregulars that were dug-up at the plant site in 2002. Moreover the majority seen on ebay and in the forums were the best without flaws. Clyde T. didn't make a show until 2004. He sent me two scans of what he'd acquired. Not so easy to see the irregular, reject oddities in them but it's a good sample, like many I witnessed at Amana 2002.

Traditionally or technically this dug-up or reject Christensen Agate swirl would not be considered an Exotic for the lack of more colors. However, it is like many that were dug-up which were not qualified to pass quality control. I handled quite a few that Les J. sold and had, most were rejects, out of round, poorly shaped etc. Amana 2002 whenever I picked this up in a collector's room because of the obviousness. .. For that reason, the swirl pattern unlike the norm and a reject so, I deemed it to be of like kind; unusually exotic.

This is not 'Furnace' rather, it was of a quite large run. I knew a guy; Greig, lived in Baxter Spring Kansas, a bit of a con man. He had a 50 gallon drum of these claiming they were made in the 1950's. Said the same about those called Hot Wheels and the transparent red with a bright yellow. He did have some fractured 'Furnace' marbles though. He also had a horde of Jabos claiming those were 50's too. One of the people who were hustling folks at the shows, until he got caught screwing big money and virtually disappeared, closed shop, dumped the marbles and never returned to the shows...

Nope not an error at all. Barker's patent refers to intended variation.

That time frame would be well after the initial flood of them in that color. As to the question of what other colors Pop patches could be found; Considering that Akro's system cranked out no spin 'Patch' up too 2-1/2 spin all in the same runs and colors, the potential within Pop Patched would be in any of the various colors one can find within the spectrum made. . I have 2, yellow and blue, 1 hybrid transparent royal blue, yellow and red, 1 red and yellow and other Akro patched that otherwise are standard made in corkscrew runs. Considering the scale during runs, it is likely in a continuum 2-1/2 twist and no twist may be and equal amount of each. Moreover, at the end of the scale, for every patch there's likely 1 2-1/2 spin to match how many made in any given run..

As I am not the Jabo Enthusiast that other are and this would be of the main reasons, too many that copy preexisting color and look-a-like style. Moreover, a flood, while admiral that forfill's collector's desire for rich design and blending bright little glass balls for fare less expense. It's the dilution into the whole where antique marbles via the law of supply and demand that fails the old population's intrinsic interests. I am inclined to go with my first instinct along with Nantucketdink's opinion and that a jar all mint like this are those in his photo representing what's worse regarding the Jabo manifestations of foolery.

In sync with my last post, 'clear patch oxblood', following the pace: The transparent Cherry red Oxblood patch:

A total Keeper looks to be Mint! And by your photo, you see a tunnel, loop. Actually a few loops on it in other places. Follow any of them to bottom, it's likely to have a white stripe/line on the opposite side of the seam, which would make it a road. Road and tunnel striped transparent slag.

The real deal, but I don't like the surface, it's way too smooth, as if it's polished. Maybe not but I'd ensure returns are free and have the Ol 'trusty rusty 40 X magnifying glass at the ready as soon as package is arived. .

This color set in the Pop patches is the most abundant albeit, were sought as quite valuable until maybe a ton or so got dug-up-up at the Akro site. Yet still, those in any other colors are very hard to find. Some in these colors, being folded, wouldn't surprise me as so many were sold off around 2001.

There are close ups of a green and another blue one where you can see little slits, probably at the poles, that are usual for Akro Chinese checkers. The green also looks like the right color too. IDK a thing about the boxes as well.

Thanks Chad. That splains a lot. It didn't get messed up later as the years have past rather, right out the "Window" as soon as they hit the market. In my case, I know better then jumping on anything that floods the gates. I'd just waited until, 'like' $30 or $40 for a set of each. Which is also how I got the Killerest set of 5 Jabo Flames from Smitty: Patience. A Hawk on the wire waiting for the kill. 😉