Steph Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 Here is an awesome Kokomo pic which is looking for a host, sort of. So this is a thread intended for the archives. I am starting it here, to invite anyone who would like to contribute. Thanks! Here is the story from n2life71 at LOM: Hello Everyone, I have an old Kokomo 30 count mesh bag (Blue Stitch with Yellow Mesh). This bag with marbles are Mint and orginal (white/clear base marbles, not the more common, but scarce blue based). I picked it up from the orginal owner a few years ago, after his 2 year old got hold of it. All that happened is the mesh came loose, NOT RIPPED, from the blue stitch; which appears to be a chain type stitch. .... and a follow-up: Yes Steve, Was a sealed bag before the 2 year old got ahold of it. He bought them as a child and has had them ever since, then I got them about 3 years ago. Been in a ziplock bag till I photograph them today. All orginal to that bag. Enjoy and I hope everyone can learn from these. Here are the contents of the bag in lovely detail. (click to enlarge) (photo courtesy n2life71) source, and original discussion: Anyone able or a how to repair Old Mesh bags? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph Posted May 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 Some more favorites. This is a small group but I've liked 'knowing' they were kokos. There was some dispute but the provenance seemed good to me (just not widely known) and they fit nicely with n2life's. (click to enlarge) And here is a bag owned by a prominent Indiana collector. :-) The pix were posted by Craig in a 2005 thread. Some of these are single patches, not the typical rainbo style. (click to enlarge) The potential range of Kokos is such a mystery to most of us. It's awesome to get a chance to see any unusual examples 'up close'. There's the continual caveat not to overidentify Kokos. I've heard from those who have reason for caution, that if there's a choice between Pelt and Koko, or Vitro and Koko, or Master and Koko, or foreign and Koko, etc., the odds of Koko are so low that the other option should be chosen. ... since so few Kokos were made, and since their distribution seems to have been concentrated more or less in the neighborhood of Kokomo, Indiana. But not having examples makes it more tempting for people to guess. I remember how I stared and stared at some tempting marbles in this bag because of the mibs I suspected might be single patches -- and I had some mibs which looked like that. I couldn't tell enough to rule the bag mibs out. So I couldn't stop wondering about them. Having really good examples might feed the "everything looks like a koko" fever, but it might have the opposite result. The other items I could add are a coupla things from Kokomo papers. Just for fun. No mibs are shown. One is about kokos being given out as freebies by someone local. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMopar Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 Great pics! I'm pretty sure I don't have any but it's always good to see what one or several looks like. Thanks for sharing. :-) Felicia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okiemarble Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Thanks steph for adding another page to confuse us with lol. Some of those really look like peltiers to me, expecially with the green and clear bases. The opaque white with dark red striping though, I have never seen before. Almost an oxblood, but not quite there. I did not know of a kokomo marble, how long were they produced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph Posted May 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Short amount of time, on a single machine purchased from Peltier. 1939 - 1942 according to one account (possibly from a company publication), after which they sold the machine back to Peltier. There is doubt about that date. It could possibly have been as late as 1945. However, it was only a sideline, to recycle Kokomo scrap glass. The sand for the Kokomo glass even came from the same place as the sand for Pelts. Though 3 to 6 years might sound significant, we are comparing one machine for that amount of time, to Peltier's multiple machines and decades of marble production. Kokomo has some distinctive mibs. Those you get to feel certain about. So I'm told. A 'signature' koko color combo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okiemarble Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Thats a beautiful marble! I love red white and blues! You can really tell a simularity with pelts. It's the reds /oranges / yellows and the green bases. Are there boxes also with kokomos? ( like akro boxes) Thanks for the great information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joestreet Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Steph, here are a few pictures. Good thread, Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Marbles Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 I have been trying to unravel the Kokomo Mystery Marbles for about 2 Years. There is very little info out there. The only way to 100% ID a Kokomo is to find it in an original bag. LOL I have followed some clues and I am fairly confident the following Mibs are Kokomos. These are from My Small Collection. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn691500 Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 i agree mark,,, joe thanks,, wow great thread,,,bj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Marbles Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 I have collected photos of Kokomos for my personal reference files. I would like to post a few to share some accumulated material. Many are from Ebay or other collectors. If anyone is offended by the use of their photos please contact me & I will cheerfully remove them. Again Kokomo ID's are Very Subjective... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Marbles Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Here are some more.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joestreet Posted May 12, 2009 Report Share Posted May 12, 2009 Pretty cool Mike. I like Kokomo's and snag them whenever I get the chance. I particularly like the clear ones with lots of bubbles. Thanks for sharing the pics, Joe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph Posted May 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Thats a beautiful marble! I love red white and blues! You can really tell a simularity with pelts. It's the reds /oranges / yellows and the green bases. Are there boxes also with kokomos? ( like akro boxes) Thanks for the great information! Yes, there were boxes. (and thanks Joe, for showing the rest of the kokos to go with that red white and blue clip!) I think this link at the WVMCC website will take you to a photo of a box: http://www.wvmcc.citymax.com/page/page/727505.htm Here's another pair of bags, pic from ebay (ignore the vitros in between): And another pair posted here before, surrounded by other kokos I believe. (click to enlarge) Here are those two newspaper items I mentioned, both from 1941: (click to enlarge) . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph Posted May 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 This looks like it might be a closer up view of the contents of the box in the WVMCC pic: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kokoken Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 Writing from Kokomo here where it is a beautiful, sunny day, finally. Yes, those boxes and bags at WVMCC site are mine. The manufacturer of the mibs. Kokomo Opalescent Glass is still in business today. No need to contact them, though, for marble info. What little they know they got from me. I also gave them a nice assrtment of samples in a wood box. The marble business just didn't work out for them. I think the workers gave more mibs to the kids of Kokomo than were actually sold. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Marbles Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 Kokoken Do you have any other Photos or info to share???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kokoken Posted May 19, 2009 Report Share Posted May 19, 2009 KokokenDo you have any other Photos or info to share???? Give me a couple days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kokoken Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 Lovers of glass should go to www.kog.com and see what Kokomo's glass plant does the same way they have done since 1888. Back to Kokomo marbles, here are a few lousy pics of some of mine. For better pics, go to the West Virginia club site As well as I can determine, dates of manufacture were from about 1939 until 1942. I spoke to the general manager at that time and he can remember both days, the pick up of the machine from Peltier and it's return, but he can't remember in which years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziggyzora Posted May 21, 2009 Report Share Posted May 21, 2009 Lovers of glass should go to www.kog.com and see what Kokomo's glass plant does That's the shower screen for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessieproulx Posted June 3, 2021 Report Share Posted June 3, 2021 This has been a great discovery. Thanks for all of your research folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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