The Nickel Guy

Dave McCullough recently passed away and I spotted him on Youtube a couple times. I see some of you met or knew the guy. I did not but I'm sorry for your loss. I bought this 15 marble set a few months ago and some of these are super neat. They are all nice. The back of the box is autographed but that might be the norm for D.A.S. marbles like these that Dave produced. Just thought I'd take some pictures of them and post. Some gold flecks in these. Lots of aventurine and some gold flecks in these 6 marbles. Signed

I think I mentioned somewhere recently that I had a big marble someplace that looked like it was used for a baseball and I would look for it. Found three actually, I'd like to throw them in a rock tumbler for a month or two and see what they come out like. They of course, are total losses except for entries in the most ugly marbles contest. Makes my eyes get a little watery and I pout a bit.

I think they are my favorite marbles too LOL! Very nice and superb cataloguing.

I'll have to get back to you on that but I think the colored sections are floating over the white now that you make mention.

My last one is very small and is also a solid core. This will conclude my antique handmade collection that I have posted here and there on Marble Connection. This one was hard to photograph, have to settle on this for now. I do have a box of damaged marbles in the basement. A handful. I know one is a huge handmade that looks like it was used for a baseball in a sandlot for quite a few innings. I'll try to find that little box and see what is in it. I was thinking it might be restorable, slim chance. It's a shame.

The top one is a latticinio. Second Red White and Blue solid core. The third has 4 colors in the solid core, white red, blue and green. They have thin spiral lines on the outer parts. The largest of these three is a bit over 3/4 inch in diameter.

Around 3/4 inch and the other a tad smaller. I never cleaned them up, I ought to at least give them a little soapy bath.

The banded agate for better review and a glass marble that I think is pretty neat looking. The stones are about .88 inch and the glass are about .95 inch.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post folks! The only one that has a nice continuous black "snake" line from one end to the other is the small one at a smidge over 1/2 inch. The middle size one is around 3/4 inch and the large is just a bit over 1 inch in diameter. The two larger have a seam which I think you can see in my picture. I do think the color is also in the marble. No aventurine here IMO. I took images of the other side for a reality check. I took a picture of this clear red patch on solid yellow 5/8 ish marble. It is an Akro I am pretty sure. Fairly common maybe, but I like it.

So I picked these up without any problem today. I was expecting some mis-shaped marbles and chips and cracks in the lots. There were very few issues, but I pulled the majority of the Mexican small and shooter size that lacked roundness and color. What you see is what I kept in these pictures. There are a mix of St Mary's and Paden City Marble King bumblebees. I think one Cub Scout was in the mix and a couple/few Akro Agates. One smaller sure looks like a corkscrew. I did not think Akro made them in close to bumblebee colors. I don't think they are Marble Kings though. There is also a small white clay, a large green clay and three decent Bennington Shooters. One being a bit fancy. The big black and yellow one in the center of the game board is sort of the same color as those ones I think are Akro. I can't say for sure what it actually is. The Shooters I kept are a mix of Mineral spheres and I I am not sure of who made the glass ones? This bunch is a nice nab. This was fun!

Most interesting marble and commentary. Very nice, thanks for the extra pictures.

I did not win the third one down, the one with the number 26 on the tag. I was outbid at $14. I did good on the bumblebees I did win. The other three! I would have gladly paid a little more for the won I lost but had trouble trying to snipe bid again. I also won a few other lots cheap. This one looks to be 11 jabos to me. Don't you think so? They are supposed to be shooters, we'll shall see. The second 12, some Benningtons I suppose, and maybe a mineral spheres and clays here and there. These are supposed to be larger too? They called them shooters. The last, a bag of about 68 mibs that look like some less than exciting Mexican modern marbles with maybe a few better odd balls in the mix. These set me back $4. LOL! I have to pick them up tomorrow between 4 and 6 pm at the auction hall and pay. It all came to less than $40 incl tax. Pretty happy about that. Not too much to pay for some entertainment and maybe a goodie or two. I'll post again when I get a chance and get them sorted, checking for better vs damaged.

Thanks a lot Chad.

I looked on eBay for completed sales and saw these were fetching maybe a buck a piece. I'd have to drive to pick them up about 75 miles round trip. There are other marbles in this auction but moderns are mixed in and what might be nice to have looks to be going high. I thought it would be kind of cool to have a whole lot of these bumblebees in a display. I'd call it a bee hive. LOL (the numbers are for me to know about how many are in each lot) Do you guys think these 4 lots are worth buying for about 60 to 80 bucks total? I have to make up my mind, they sell tomorrow night. If there is a marble that grabs me it is this one. I remember them being called bumblebees from my childhood. The other kid always had them and not me.

I think these are all handmade antique "Mica" marbles. An alternating gif I made with and without flash. BLUE (looks to have some dark ribbons in center?) Close to 9/10 inch CLEAR About a smidge over 1/2 inch. It looks like it has a crack but it is more like a wrinkle on the surface. GREEN About 3/4 inch in diameter.

I like my fairly common, everyday swirls.

I happened to watch that in the past day or two. Man o man these guys know their stuff.

Look at the label on the box too! so awesome! Nice collection there. I wow-ed that post Akroorka.

My little man big man for relating to Chads recent post up there. well . . . sorta. Large latticinio core is about 7/10 inches in diameter, smaller a tad over 1/2 inch.

I don't see a core inside this one with outer ribbons of yellow white and green. It is 7/10" diameter.

Nice graduated size collection there! I made the Wow emoticon.

My last two group pictures here, a bit more colorful. Each lot has a banded clay, how they did that I have no clue unless the dye was lost some rolling along the way while still wet when made. I do like these, common or not, I still think they are cool. Please post yours if you like. It has been awhile since I posted anything with pictures. I am getting near the end of my current collection to share here.

Four more groups of clays, a couple white lined clays. Somewhat faded lines, maybe they fade over time? Other red dyed clays. All of these are around a half inch in diameter and some a bit larger.

Fancy Benningtons pair in this picture amidst clays that average a half inch or so in diameter.

This might be a very boring thread to some but these always fascinated me being so old and sometimes quite fancy. I'll be adding on here but start out with my common colored blue Bennington marbles. The largest in this group is a bit over 1 1/3 inches in diameter. That awful looking crater on the side of it isn't really as bad as it looks. The smallest dark one is probably a dyed clay but in hand it is somewhat dark blue. Here's some Brown Benningtons with a couple more fancy examples. The largest being just about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. The tiny one is my smallest sphere of all being a tiger eye. It is quite small but it is not a bead and is not holed. Maybe about 1/5 inch in diameter? I partial to that one in the bottom left. It isn't a Bennington glazed marble though.