Boy Oh Boy.......

[Akro gatherer]

is it just me or are the marbles pouring out of Jabo faster than ever? Is that 3 or 4 runs this year?

[zigafoose]

I just don't get it,if you do run after run then doesn't it diminish the "specialness" of it?

Don't get me wrong it's a very special thing to be able to participate in the production but doesn't it hurt collectible side of it?

I think it's a good thing as far as it helps keep a buisness open in hard economic times other than that the luster has worn off......IMHO

[Akro gatherer]

i was a guest and it was great. i just think if the marbles contiue to stream out then it does tarnish how special the special runs are.

[MARBLEMISER]

TOO much of a good thing. They're flooding the market now.

I know I've lost interest.

In this time of job loss, it's good to see that someone is working.

Thing is how many of thhe unemployed are going to

be able to afford $10.00 a pop.

Especialy when the cost per unit is around $00.17 cents.

Quite a profit margin huh?

Kinda like the soft drink industry $1.95 for a Pepsi 20 oz.

At the Dollar store a 2 liter is a $1.10.

IMHO..

marblemiser

[marboman]

This is how I see it.Until Jabo started these special runs ,collectable marbles had no competition (other than contemporary handmades,individual artists,etc.).Jabo saw an oppurtunity and for what it cost to produce Jabo marbles they went for it.If you can't find or buy vintage collectable marbles then jabo marbles are an alternative,but they will always be the alternative to the real antique/vintage collectable marbles.I think they have made way too many ,I lost interest after the second Joker run.

[n2marbles]

I admit I would have liked to be involved in seen them made but there's really nothing different in them as any other new contempary marble, except it's true with all the runs you can get them for 2 bucks now instead of $20.00 just a few months ago. Just my opinion, please don't get mad at me....lol. Steve

PS....I do know even Galen is a advid collector of jabo's.

[MARBLEMISER]

The sad thing is back when 35 for $300.00 seemed like a deal

at the time. Now they have gone the way of the stock market.

Not up & down but down.

It was for me an investment. Now they will have to go to my

grandchildren. So by the time they're my age, they'll ( the Jabos )

will be antiques & maybe then the investment value will be realized?

Oh, well it was fun while it lasted.

marblemiser

[b-80]

These Jabo guys totally blew it. A "limited run" was one thing, but but every few weeks they went to the well again.

In Kansas City they could hardly give them away. In fact when I sold a group of marbles I gave them a freebie from the ones I bought at Amana in 08.

It is a shame to see greed so well and good in the marble world.

RK

[Steph]

Ray, in the realm of technicalities, what figure are you giving for the cost per unit? 17 cents? .17 cents?

Is that for materials?

Cost of transportation needs to be factored in. Most investors traveled to get them. If they were shipped by mail, then factor in significant breakage.

The ones sold on ebay are handpicked. There's time cost involved in preparing them for listing -- pix and such. Then factor in ebay fees.

And I suspect that most won't be deemed worthy of listing individually.

That doesn't help your $300 investment. But I think $10 or even higher for some of the more choice examples isn't as outrageous as the cost of materials might suggest.

I admit to some bias, of course.

[Sword44]

I may be wrong (31 times today and counting) but I had the strong impression that the recent Jabo runs were done primarily for the opportunity to particpate and get some great swirls by Dave, and, perhaps, secondarily, as an investment.

We should all know by now that the marble market fluctuates and that marble (like other) investments that turn out well are a product of luck good timing.

The Jabo runs haven't poisoned the well, they've created many beautiful marbles and a lot of enjoyment. Buy what you like and then you'll have no call to complain.

Roger

[FISHSLAYERMARRBLEGRIFF]

Im guessing the tone will change,when there is no more jabo,experimentals.

If you think it is a "mass production",you are wrong.It aint gonna go on forever.

I can hear it now."Man,I wished I would have gotten some when they were being made".

Sure,as an invester,Im a lttle concerned about recovery expenses.

Not looking to make a "killing",but a couple extra bucks in my pocket doesnt hurt.Damn fishing licenses arent free.--LOL

The way the first run was handled,pissed me off,dropping the bomb in one marble show,and the openly bragging about "how much money was taken out of the show".

That was a "lack of charicter",and "no class",situation.

And at another marble show telling me I should be down around the corner,with "them",because thats wear all the action was.NO CLASS!!!

This is the feeling I got from only 1,of the "joker" crew,and it wasnt Kevin,Ed or Jim.(You figure it out).

Dont get me wrong,the marbles are great.

At least it gives the marble community something to talk about,either positive or negative.

Before the experimentals,discussions were kind of the same old thing,time an time again.

Its nice to see,many "lurkers" popping in and joining the discussions.

Its about time you do,instead of hiding in the shadows.

Just to show you,how I Am,anyone who has posted above my post,in this thread,I will send you a couple(my choice),for free,if you are willing to send a couple bucks to cover the postage.

Just pm me your mailing address if you are interest in a couple.They will be from the friendship run.

Griff

[MARBLEMISER]

Ray, in the realm of technicalities, what figure are you giving for the cost per unit? 17 cents? .17 cents?

Is that for materials?

Cost of transportation needs to be factored in. Most investors traveled to get them. If they were shipped by mail, then factor in significant breakage.

The ones sold on ebay are handpicked. There's time cost involved in preparing them for listing -- pix and such. Then factor in ebay fees.

And I suspect that most won't be deemed worthy of listing individually.

That doesn't help your $300 investment. But I think $10 or even higher for some of the more choice examples isn't as outrageous as the cost of materials might suggest.

I admit to some bias, of course.

Steph.

The cost qoute was of the end result. I was told by one of the investors.

I don't know what formula was used to arrive at the final unit ( 17cts. per each marble ).

Unless you took $9,000 & divided it by 70,000 or how many thousands a 16 hr. run would produce?

That would be your field of expertise/

the vintage marbles for 1 example 19 for .10 cents. in the 50's

and the Mfg made a profit/ at less than .01/2 cent ea. not counting packaging.

marblemiser

[Akro gatherer]

Im guessing the tone will change,when there is no more jabo,experimentals.

If you think it is a "mass production",you are wrong.It aint gonna go on forever.

I can hear it now."Man,I wished I would have gotten some when they were being made".

Sure,as an invester,Im a lttle concerned about recovery expenses.

Not looking to make a "killing",but a couple extra bucks in my pocket doesnt hurt.Damn fishing licenses arent free.--LOL

The way the first run was handled,pissed me off,dropping the bomb in one marble show,and the openly bragging about "how much money was taken out of the show".

That was a "lack of charicter",and "no class",situation.

And at another marble show telling me I should be down around the corner,with "them",because thats wear all the action was.NO CLASS!!!

This is the feeling I got from only 1,of the "joker" crew,and it wasnt Kevin,Ed or Jim.(You figure it out).

Dont get me wrong,the marbles are great.

At least it gives the marble community something to talk about,either positive or negative.

Before the experimentals,discussions were kind of the same old thing,time an time again.

Its nice to see,many "lurkers" popping in and joining the discussions.

Its about time you do,instead of hiding in the shadows.

Just to show you,how I Am,anyone who has posted above my post,in this thread,I will send you a couple(my choice),for free,if you are willing to send a couple bucks to cover the postage.

Just pm me your mailing address if you are interest in a couple.They will be from the friendship run.

Griff

griff i was not trying to belittle the runs just saying that all of a sudden there are alot of runs going on. i thought that the runs were rare like only one every few months or so. maybe its just this year so far. i dont know. just made the comment.

[FISHSLAYERMARRBLEGRIFF]

I didn't think you were.I know you were just making an observation.Aint no problem here,with that.

There has been consecutive runs in 2009,and that's a fact.

I'm not sure how long it will continue though,,,,,

[triker]

As a investor in 2 of the tribute runs i personally can say i did not do it for the money. i was there to learn more of the marble making process and see first hand the magic of making beautiful marbles! Along with company of friends i was with and the Jabo crew the experiences I've had at the plant will be fodder for stories i can share with my grandchildren for a long time. They will also no the history of every marble company and they will have the mibs to look at,sell, throw away whatever they decide to do with them. My legacy to them. As with what Griff says a few dollars would be nice in these times but i would just as soon pack them all up for a later date. Just my 2 cents worth. Hope to see everyone at the WVMCC show May 7 8 9. Good hunting!

Bruce

[leroy65]

I'm just wondering---In comparison to Akro, Peltier, Christensen Agate, M.F. Christensen & Son and the other early producers of marbles how does Jabo stack up as far as numbers produced? ----Leroy----

[VTAndrea]

I consider Jabos about as plentiful as catseyes. There might be a few interesting and more sought after catseyes than the ordinary run of the mill ones, but who among us gets really excited at coming across a jar of them in an antique shop? Not me....Same with Jabos. I for one would welcome a discussion about a wider variety of marbles. Jabos seem to be monopolizing the boards, at least here.

[carole154]

I agree Andrea. I too would like to see posts about something other than Jabo. I've tried starting a couple of vintage posts but they died quickly.

carole

[FISHSLAYERMARRBLEGRIFF]

Its nice to have a place to talk about ALL marbles.ALL threads drop off,as more post are added.

The new jabos are the current "hot" topic,not because anyone is pushing it,but because thats what people on the boards want to talk about.

Not saying "everyone"is interested.Thats obvious.

I havent lost interest in vintage marble because of it.

Keep posting threads on any marbles,old or new.I respond to any of the threads that interest me.

I sell the classic jabos and marble kings to kids at the local fleamarkets,to introduce "new blood" into the marble collecting community.

Anything that get more people involved with the hobby is great,and the new runs are helping.

ITS ALL GOOD!

And just for the record,I didnt do it for the money,either.Being able to paticipate in a run was PRICELESS!

PORK CHOP IN A CAN~!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sissydear]

If any of our group did it for the money, I'd bet they are disappointed. I have enjoyed everything mentioned about the fun of doing a run, but the greatest fun for Weldon and I (I'm repeating this again) IS THE JOY OF BEING ABLE TO GIVE BEAUTIFUL MARBLES AWAY! We're even filling our pockets with them when we go to the grandson's baseball games and giving them to kids. I'm thinking about dropping some on the elementary school grounds in our area.

In the past i have posted gorgeous akro marbles, vitro marbles, CAC's, and Peltiers. They hardly bring a comment except the time I posted the Vitros on Land of Marbles. I have Champions, Cairo, Jackson, Marble King, and loads of contemps. The JABO lookers seem interested and post comments. It's not that my vintage are blah marbles. They are nice, mint, some rare, but it seems to me that it isn't worth the time it takes me to do pics and post them. So....... I have stopped posting them. The contemps bring a comment or two or three and then roll over. I figure that means "no interest" so I've stopped doing that too. Just my observations on the subject. Edna

[carole154]

I'm seeing the same thing Edna. It's why I'm not taking the time to take pics of some really nice vintage handmades I've gotten recently. No one seems interested so why bother. I have nothing against Jabos at all. I have some. I'm just more interested in vintage and some contemps. Just me.

carole

[psia-antique]

Like it or not, JABO is the third most common marble search by manufacturer on eBay. Most people who invested in the experimental runs did it for fun and to learn. Those who read Dave McCullough's letter of provenance know that the experimentals were my idea. It worked and jobs stayed on shore! The rest you know.

There is always one bad apple and Griff has described it well. That bad apple even has a man of the cloth to advise him and he still acts the rotten apple. He and his partners are the only ones who seem to have made money on these runs. He was heard to say at Sistersville that he had made $150,000...who knows what the truth is...I am sure we will all find it exotic and bet we see more demand pull marketing tactics again. I have explained very carefully to two people that you cannot control prices. Well see if they learned anything. Either way, they should be thankful for my ideas that have made them money. I am thankful that they wrote checks to JABO to support my ideas.

I have not made a dime at it and am way under water financially, but have enjoyed every second of the experience. Hopefully, I will break even some day. I sure have enjoyed giving marbles to random kids who regularly squeal "look how sparkly" they are.

As for rarity, JABOs are very rare compared to Pelt, CAC, Akro, etc. The total number of marbles produced in the experimental runs of 2008 was 1,500,000. That is a lot to hit the market at one time and with the false pricing created by a demand pull marketing idea of the first groups, the prices stayed high until the economy fell out of bed.

The irony is that these marbles are very rare and some are very underpriced. Not all that have been sold or made are worth $10 and some are worth hundreds by rarity.

The experimentals set new standards of excellence in the areas of gold lutz, mica, aventurine, complex patterns, oxblood, and numbers of colors per marble.

God made Ford and Chevy so everyone could have an opinion. The same is true of marbles. Everyone has an opinion. It seems to me, though, that real opinion should be something along the lines of lets all agree that we enjoy collecting marbles. We should all be willing to learn from the other guys collection and be happy for him in his personal collecting choice.

If you read the introduction to my book "2008 JABO Classics:the Experimentals" by Marblealan, you will know that today, JABO is everyman'smarble.

[leroy65]

I have collected all kinds, makers and types of marbles for the past 30 or so years. I have never collected a marble due to its value. I place my value in it's beauty and that's why I became a marble reconditioner (to bring out the beauty of a hurt marble.) I have been very lucky that Edna has sent me some of the Jabo marbles and some of them rank in beauty right along with the older produced marbles. Thanks Edna! I think we need two types of boards. Those that are true collectors and love marbles for their beauty as well as their rarity, and a board for those that are just in it to buy and sell for a profit. IMHO ----Leroy----

[marboman]

We all love marbles ,that's not at question here.The fact is marbles have value,unless you have so much money that money does't matter.Would you give your mint CAC and PELTS or a 2" sulfide away to children? or leave them in school yards? No,I don't think so,thats the difference between Jabo and collectable vintage marbles.

For me the real excitment of collecting marbles is the hunt which is totally not like ordering new mint marbles,that takes all the fun out of it for me.That's probably why I bought some and then quit.Everyone should feel free to express there veiws without fear of discrimination.Bo

[psia-antique]

If you prefer the hunt, that is great. Go hunt! I agree with you, I, too,love the hunt and even if I could spend millions I would not. I would hunt for them. As a matter fact, those who know me, know just how much I enjoy the hunt. I even bought a Pelt Grey Coat within the last six weeks that was mislabelled on eBay.

As I said in my earlier post, none of us as individuals get a vote. The market- eBay searches- tells us that JABO is state of the art. Notice that I haven't listed 20 JABOs since December of 2008. I have been hunting for other things. My hunting has led me to a great collection of Cairo Novelty, Heaton Agate, Alley Agate, Peltier, and even a few cats. So whether JABO or not, get out there and hunt.