Jeff54

An old photo of some of the Hand-gathered Akros I managed to get when diggers dumped them on Ebay,😋 claiming they are M.F. Christensen. 😏 Opps, forgot the photo:

That would be: Way Cooler than a Reble, fo. sure.

Left is Peltier: Lemon lime.

I would not call these Royal just because it's patch type marble which it seems the auction claims. Unlike the Royal marbles within old factory boxes these are not a two-colored patch, it's three; the aventurine is a separate flow of clear with aventurine in it. I.E. Red, yellow and aventurine in clear. Rather, who knows why or exactly what, but it is an intentional special run in 5/8" and shooters. The Red is uniquely colored too. I mean, try and find this exact translucent red in any red/yellow and or other color combinations. I've looked and haven't succeeded albeit, U know, of billions, it's probably in another right? . They're also found as 5/8" corkscrews. The corks are very rare and heck, maybe there's a special shooter cork that's yet to be discovered. IDK but perhaps they're an answer to Peltier's red, yellow and black (The black in Peltier's rebel is actually a very dark green/brown) with aventurine as called today: Rebel. Yet, I've never called them Rebels because to me, it's just not the same. ☺️

So, being 'Sunday's Best' The last post of single seam and 'Double Tunnel; It has a mate which has a double tunnel but also goes a little wack swirling but on the reverse side. Don't have photo of that but they liked to play together long before I'd found them and a few of their pals.

German 'Double Tunnel' multi-color striped transparent, that's not. 'Double Tunnel' (Credit to John McCormick when he and I were on the subject years ago, for idea of this name tag: "Double Tunnel".) They're 7/8" and almost like a Christensen Agate Road and Tunnel, but they always have a tunnel pattern at one pole and 2nd tunnel, opposing the seam line, facing each other. This is one that, also like CAC, is a single seam (Folded) so, it's like a single seam CAC, but German that's not a Double Tunnel. Go Figure.

So, here's an Elias Greiner Vetters Sohn H-G, Clear, white and Oxblood fat tornado core that's a closeup shot for detail of Oxblood. However, the shot for grainy or pigmented texture in the chemicals mixing does not show as well as I'd been trying to get. Old photo with my junk, by today's standards, Cannon SLR digital camera.

Whaatt? Do my eyes deceive me? Is that an opaque light blue as in an MFC Persian verses the various opaque- simi-opaque found in 2004-5 at Akro?

That board looks pretty nicely fashioned. The Mica's also appear to be quite nice, as if it's a whole set of very well crafted cane-cut, hand-mades too. You can never know if these marbles have been a part of it all this time but could be from the 1850's to 1880's. I mean, it appears to fit the likes of what Danny Turner studied: Here's an exert from an article Danny Turner wrote that was on the web site (It no longer exists but was RunningRabitt dot com.) about 20 years ago. Danny and Gretchen Turner (Running Rabitt) use to have many of the highest quality marbles on video tape recordings, you'd need to buy, for their live call-in auctions. “We have had the good fortune of seeing several hundred solitaire sets with what appeared to be their original marbles. Just from casual observation these sets can be divided into three periods. The following dates are my best educated guess based on the style and patina of the boards, associated inscribed dates, and the original containing box when it exists. The first period would be from 1850 to 1880. These boards are usually handsomely crafted out of beautifully patinaed mahogany, and we have seen several with inscribed dates as early as 1850. The second period would be from 1880 to 1920. These boards are somewhat less well crafted, and are made of oak, mahogany and pine. Sometimes these solitaire sets were boxed in well-made cardboard boxes with colorful paper labels. The third period would be from 1920 to 1940. These boards are usually crudely crafted out of pine and were sold in cardboard boxes. These three divisions are not always clear and there are some crossover characteristics between the periods. The marbles are distinctly different in the three periods. Marbles associated with the first period almost always have a ground, faceted pontil and are generally well made with fine detail. Marble types found on these earliest boards include Onionskins, Onionskins with mica, Onionskins with suspended mica; many varieties of swirls including latticinio, divided ribbon, single ribbon, and solid cores; green, cobalt blue, cyan blue, and clear micas; and ground pontil- hand gathered marbles referred to by collectors as transitions. The one thing all these marbles have in common is their ground, faceted pontil." I believe they went on to describe marbles in the second and third period, but I didn't save it.

Back in the 1990's The Marble Lady: Cathy Runyan-Svacina: Home | The Marble Lady (square.site) Coined the name 'Chocolate Oxblood' patch or swirl. There's a bonus once you know the 'Chocolate' base color, mixed blend too: They are very hard to find and for such only few know: Yet, beyond the Oxblood; Occasionally, you can find this base color-mix Cathy Calls, 'Chocolate' in multicolor cork screws and of the dug-up hand-gathered Akros.

Grenier: Circa 1850-1880 German Hand gathered ground pontal. Many of these were found in English made Solitaire boxes dating; Per Danny Turner's research, more than 20 years ago, his estimation of when the boxes were made was: 1850-1880 period. It's of the loveliest oxblood ever made. And, while usually fashioned quite well as spere, the finished product's surface is not always but 'usually', somewhat rough. Meaning; Although yours looks quite used, some of that rough surface is probably 'As made' too. If you photograph it in water to see inside better, chances are there's a 'Tornado' core in it. If I recall, when in this clear to clear-ish mix they have been referred to as 'Crystal Oxblood' too.

I have 69 marbles that Mike Barton @migbar sent me in 2004, but asked that I did not tell anybody, he didn't want others hounding him. RIP my good friend Mike. They are mostly rejected, cracked, out of round or; that range from Hand-Gathered slags, a few gobs that kicked out the rollers, some oblong and a couple of speres to Champ Jr's. A few are the earliest opaque swirls, others transparent striped and the smallest of some presumably, Miller's peewee verities. Pretty much from earliest made until decline rejects. I am not prepared to take photos currently and other than a few, nothing to get excited about. However, in case these were posted once before but lost currently; here's a few scans he Emailed me in 2004, (He did not request to keep these scans confidential though) of his personal collection in the order he'd sent the scans: "Swirly Peltier's" is what he called them And "Evin's marbles"(His son).. 'Swirly Peltier's" I think but can't recall, the 1st and 2nd have an orange slag but think it's the same one. "Evin's marbles"