wvrons

#1 Alley #2 probably Champion #3 Alley #4 probably Champion

Online listed conditions vary greatly and some are totally inaccurate. Like what is mint+ ???? How do you get better than mint. Mint is from 9.0 to 10.0. What is mint+ 12.0 ? Plus there are very few, very few 10.0 marbles. I have seen marbles with fractures listed as mint. You can find some on ebay now with fractures listed as mint. Enlarge the pictures and you have to judge yourself. Plus you learn by experience who are honest sellers and who are not. RARE and there are 20 of them listed from $5.00 to $100.00. They are not to rare. WOW, FANTASTIC, SUPER, AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, TURKEY HEAD, EXPIERMENTAL, and others all mean nothing. Be careful with color numbers. Most listings are totally wrong on numbers of colors. Listed as seven colors and there were only two added to make it. Plus some sellers on line has to be color blind. Many times the picture will look better than the marble does in hand, because of the lighting and macro picture. A piece of metal the size of a straight pin head, in a marble, zoomed to 10X in a picture, will look large and easy to see, ten times bigger, until you have it in hand. I would not stay away from mint listed marbles any more than nm listed marbles. You be the judge, not the seller. I view more mint than nm listings. I want the marble to be nm+ or mint, I don't want a Peltier Green Lantern with two big chips and a fracture, even if it is only $20.00. When a mint one is $2000.00 The damaged one will always be a problem to sell or get your money from it. Buy what you like, buy the best quality you can afford. But know what you are buying.

Left to right. #1 Alley #2 maybe CAC ? #3 CAC #4 Peltier Multi Color

If you have marbles worth $10.00 and $100.00 each or more. You want mint condition. Even new collectors today want mint marbles. Years ago collectors were happy with place holders until a better one came along. Some still do this but the majority now want mint marbles. Because they will hold their value better and longer than one that is near mint. It can all depend on what your plans are for the marble in the future ? For play nm is fine, for crafts nm is fine, to learn from nm is fine, to sell sometime in the future or recover your money mint is best. For a investment gamble for the future mint is best. Very few nm marbles increase in value fast or at all. Most mint marbles do increase in value, some increase very much. This is why people pay more for mint marbles. Then the problem is the grading scale and who is doing it. Mint marbles has different meanings to many. Your own eyes have to be the judge. I make the mistake to many times of buying a marble and not checking it with a loupe and later disappointed. A loupe can be a hassle, but the experienced and smart buyer is the one using a loupe. If you pay $100.00 for a marble and think it is mint. Then later check it with a loupe and it is nm or even high nm, you find out the value dropped to 50% of what you paid. The $10.00 marble you will not lose as much. The higher value you go the more important condition is.

Not a Neon Conqueror. A nice Vitro Tri Lite.

Looks glass and damaged.

All five Ravenswoods.

Every company that made marbles in the USA, old or new, made marbles that glow. Master should have one pointed cut and one curved cut. Not sure but your marble may be from Imperial ? Colors look off for Akro and the green specs or tint in the white is odd for Akro.

Not a slag. It is a Alley swirl.

Some odd Akro

It is like marbles. They seem to multiply. Before long you have two or three cabinets full. The oxblood pieces stand out. There is so much more oxblood on these as compared to a marble. I wanted a Grandad pot, the largest one Akro made. Then all of a sudden I had seven of them. They made some nice pieces and some are very rare and high priced. But the Akroware prices have declined big the last 2-3 years.

These are found in original Blackie bags. Is it a Blackie or a Whitie ?

Yes Vitro Whitie. There are two types, the older ones are opaque white base, the later ones are clear base. Vitro packaged both types in bags marked Whities. Vitro named these and considered them Whites. Many Vitro marbles can fall into the construction style like the Vitro Tiger Eyes. The Tiger Eyes fall into four main groups of different base and different colored ribbon placements. Type one, type two, type three and type four Tiger Eyes. There are a few rare odd ones that do not fit 1-2-3 or 4 exactly. The opaque older Whities are much better quality glass and better quality colors. Like most marbles, older is usually better quality overall.

Now that is the true meaning of old and rare glass.

One straight seam, one curved seam, eyelashes, patch pattern(second picture). Akro made opaque base, clear base, translucent base, transparent base. Akro made base glass from raw ingredients and from cullet.

Later Vitros

X3

I agree Vacor.

It is a beach front hotel. The fourth floor is booked full with marble people. They are booking marble people on the third floor now. Most will be there Feb 12. I know one couple who has 21 hours drive time from MN to get there. Some people from WV going. The last Vitro plant managers daughter will be there. I wish that we had only six hours to drive, even twelve would be less .

Condition condition condition. No matter how old or rare condition is number one for value. This purple slag is damaged past any collector value, not even ten cents. Use it has a learning tool and later pass it along for learning or to make some child smile. One noticeable chip can decrease the value of a marble by 50% or more. Some of the older handmade marbles, collectors are some forgiving for a few small chips or damage. Fractures are value killers . With fractures the marble may stay as one piece for ten years or twenty years or break in half or more pieces tomorrow.