wvrons

Both 1931 Alley.

Peltier

When Akro went out of business, Master bought left over Akro marbles and Akro packages. Some of those Akro packages were also stamped with the Master name. But most were not. Some had the Akro name on the package and Akro marbles, but sold by Master. Master also packaged bulk Akro marbles in their own Master packages. You can find this in Master box sets and bags. So do not be shocked if a Master box or bag contains marbles that look like Akro marbles. Original packaging boxes or bags may not always contain marbles made by the company name on the label. But the package may have been sold by the company on the label. Just not that companies marbles inside. Like Ravenswood Paul Bunyan packages. Bag headers say Ravenswood Novelty but the Paul Bunyan marbles were not made by Ravenswood Novelty. So the Chinese Checker box set above can be dated to the time just before Akro went out of business, and sold by Master shortly afterwards.

I have one of only two Alley salesman sample case sets. Larry Alley has the one which his father used. So the odds are that I have the one which Lawrence E. Alley used. Lots of history with the case that I have. I followed its journey for many years from Vitro Anacortes Washington state to me. The lining of these cases are white silk. There are ten different rows which contain five marbles of same color Calligraphy style marbles per row. All the marbles in these cases are 11/16 inch size. Larry Alley's case.

The first two are Veiligglas from the Netherlands. The foreign sparker could be from France or Germany. Also Japan might be possible if they made any that size ?

Marble Bert. He bought a lot of marbles from me over the years. He also once owned the Alley Salesman sample case which I now own. Brings back memories with Everett and that yellow 3rd edition. He shipped some of those swirls back to me three and four times to sort again. After he and or the publisher would get them mixed up. American machine made marbles was several years in the making, probably seven years. Ended in being two books rather than one. The second one Popular marbles was and is a big disappointment. Which was not Mike or Susie's fault. American Machine-Made Marbles is still the most complete detailed and accurate history, done as of today.

Lots of Veiligglas.

More How many different varieties or runs, I am not sure.

That is big for Akro. At that size I would have said MFC for both. I do not know that I can separate many Akro slags from MFC slags. The first marbles Akro sold were MFC slags. When Akro moved to WV. I thought they also stole or brought with them, a large number of MFC slags and sold them as Akro.

I was ready to pack.

I was going with the cut lines and the ox. The cut lines showing, would usually leave out Jabo and most WV swirl makers. Oxblood is unusual for Vitro, but a few have it. It may be a Vitro Conqueror clear base with green, white and oxblood.

WV generic white and blue swirl. Could be from five or six different companies. Digging marbles in Wisconsin, where ? I have traveled several hours to dig, even to the Alox factory.

Jabo's. No oxblood. The base is clear glass. The gray look is thin white cullet used in combination with the red. The temperature was a little to high which made the thin white go gray and the red burn some and go brown over top of the white.

Akro

A few Ravenswoods that are similar. He Heaton Heaton made a white base, with red, blue and brown. I thought that I had pictures of those, but I do not.

I have many 25 cents or $5.00 marbles that I would never sell. Value has many different meanings.

Is it white base or red base ? That will make a big difference. Very few red base WV swirls. Alley had some but very few. Heaton probably had no red base glass.

MCS

100% Ravenswood. Early batch glass.

Kokomo. I think every machine made marbles company made some marbles which glow under uv light.

Those are marks from a bad shear cut. Cold roll marks happen. But there are roll marks from many more problems than cold rolls. About the only time you get cold roll marks is at the start up after a machine has set idle for hours, days or weeks. The only way the rolls get heat is from the hot glass rolling across the rolls. Depending on the size of the rolls, it can take fifteen minutes to a hour for the rolls to get hot. At 200-250 per minute that is a lot of cold roll marked or out of round marbles. These are usually rejected and discarded. There are many more hot roll marks than cold roll marks. Many things can cause roll marks. Glass temperature, speed, hot glass glob size to small or to large, glass buildup on the rolls, and more. Unless you were present at the time, how would you know a roll mark was caused by cold rolls ? Cold roll mark has been used for many years, but it is in most cases not correct. Just roll mark would be more accurate. But like many things around marbles. once it is in print and used, it is very difficult to change it. I explain this at least six or a dozen times per year, for years. But people still label all roll marks as Cold Roll Mark. I have heard it so much, that I have caught myself using, cold roll mark.

A machine made marble by Vitro Agate Parkersburg WV. It is a Black Line All Red. The Black Line All Reds were the first All Red marbles Vitro produced. Vitro produced All Red marbles until they closed in Parkersburg in 1986. The Black Line All Reds were produced from about the early 1940's until about 1960. The Black Line All Reds continued production even when the lesser All Reds were produced. Competition and cost cutting caused Vitro to drop the black or dark color around the middle of the marble. Vitro named these marbles All Red because when a kid would shoot or roll the marble it would always flash red. Kids favorite color choice was red. Vitro All Reds and Vitro Conqueror marbles are a couple of the most common seen or found and a long time of production by Vitro Agate marbles. They were made by the millions per week, per year. Machine made marbles have no pontil. They are not gathered and made on a rod. They are made at a rate of about 200-250 per minute. Age does not make a marble valuable. Many newer marbles can be as valuable as older marbles. Your marble is worth about 25 cents to $3.00 . The dent, crease or groove is a roll mark. The hot marbles are rounded in long grooved rollers.

Jabo

Nice Alley Exotic Coral.