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It's Buggin Me....


zaboo

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ok,a little venting... not a lot, just a little.

why do sellers that should KNOW better list translucent based corks as ACES? if it does not have the moonie fire opal in the base, it is not an ace! Why does it bug me? because reputable sellers should know, and I feel bad sometimes that I see unsuspecting buyers(newbies or otherwise) buying a marble that is not what it's suppose to be!!

ok, off my soap box... LOL

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I been around forever and I still don't know the difference. All I know is that there is a huge controversy. It was pretty clear cut when I learned it 20 years ago and I just don't care enough to investigate all the history and take a poll to relearn it. Somebody on this board almost told the difference once but then nothing.

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Hi!

on this board several times I have posted as well as Steph, an original salesman's catalog page with descriptions of specific marbles, aces included. But yeah, I agree, when it comes to money, lOTS of people don't care, and that's too bad. aces have an opal moonie ribbon through the base glass, that shines an opalescent pink when back lit. so it's really pretty easy to tell the difference. no fire in the glass? not an ace, just a translucent cork. which in itself is cool too, don't get me wrong, I like both!

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I know the feeling. I'm in transition on my computer too. Wasn't sure I was going to be able to find the ad. Luckily I remembered where I'd posted it last and got the address from there.

Here's that ace from your auction. Hope you don't mind me taking the liberty. :-) It's a good illustration of the glow of the base. (edit: Note the grain. In my experience Aces seem to have a grain, somewhat similar to Acme Realers. Coincidence?)

(click for a little more detail)

BdOc22kKGrHqIOKj4Eq1gbik9SBK38DV1uC.jpg

auction

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actually they have the striations a ringer or popeye would have. some have more than others, so they're hard to picture because they just look white based, (agh!)

and thanks Steph, feel free anytime. :music-rocker-001:

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This whole argument rolls over into milkglass, too... Any white glass is now considered milkglass... But, the real stuff is supposed to have that "fire."

Dani, your center picture is about the best photo of it I've ever seen. It's not easy to catch!!

It's just been so long since anyone really cared about milkglass, it doesn't rate the "rants!!" LOL

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One note: when backlighting to test, be sure the orange comes from the base, not the ribbon. Orange and red ribbons can cause reflections which make the base seem to glow.

I'm not sure one way or the other about Akro making Aces in any other colors than the basic 5 shown in the ad and the sample case. As Dave shows there are corky marbles which glow, but did Akro sell them as Aces? We know Akro expanded their varieties of Prize Names and Tri-Colors beyond the five color combos they originally advertised, but I have reservations about Aces. I simply don't know.

One major obstacle to learning more about what Akro meant as Aces has been the general lack of awareness that Aces had anything special about them. Most people don't know there was any issue to study. There hasn't been much evidence to debate with or about.

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the ones Charles shows? Do you mean Dave's mibs? I'm not sure about those actually. I'd want to see them in hand. He does have them in hand, so I'll take his word on them. Except for the plain one? The ribbon colors on his look right. The top right view of his black one has an Ace-like hint of rosiness. And check it out, the base of the black one has a grain like a Realer.

Thanks bunches for paying such close attention to the ad's words! LOL. I find that phrase frustrating - "a narrow, distinct strip of opalescent glass". Actually, I suspect the ad writers viewed the base as a "strip". In this one it's sorta hard to tell whether the red or the white is the ribbon. hmmm.

OpalescentStrip.jpg

Anyway, the ad writers were sometimes more poetic than accurate. I sorta pick and choose what to take literally with them. The main concept I take from this ad is the word "opalescent".

There are some other Ace features I think I recognize just from having Aces in hand but I get frustrated trying to put the description into words. Aces have filaments, but those could be taken for the wispy white you often see on Moss Agates, and they're not. Then there can be somewhat milky glass, which could be mistaken for Moss Agate glass, but it's not. And don't use the milky glass as a requirement because sometimes you can't even see it, because the more solid white is packed so tightly.

arg. Words!

We need more ace pix.

Dani has shown a GORGEOUS one with the yellow-orange ribbon, I think. Need to find that.

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yeah, it's kinda like popeyes, some have more white than others. the main thing is the moonie ribbon or even an almost total moonie translucent base. it's pretty easy to tell, in hand, when you back-light the two kinds side by side.

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I may be taking it too literally but I think I got it. The ones in the box do give the look of the description. Maybe the script writer just saw this same appearence. The arrows are pointing to a thin band of the opalescent glass showing at the surface. .3Akrosamplerboxes008_0.jpg

I do see what you are saying and I completely agree with Danis first post. I believe I have some to photograph but the marbles are 2000 miles away

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I do have a handful that have a wack more white in them. Trying to get the fire to show up in them is a bit tough. I seek out the real transluscent ghostly ones cuse I like them. Plus they are a little harder to find. Not sure if they count as "Aces" but hey why not.

P.S My third example is a dug marble from the site. Akro named that one a "Landfill Cork"

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Well Zaboo, based on the chart posted by Steph

An Akro Cork with a translucent base has no other category to fit under other than an "ACE" - whether its the "fire opal" sort or not - the translucent based glass puts it in the "Ace" category....or are you thinking they should be a "Moss Agate"??

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Sorry Bill, I must disagree. The Ace has gotta have fire. The catalog page I posted isn't all of the Akro styles ever made. The Moss Agate corks aren't on that page. Carnelians aren't there. At least some of the mibs distributed in Imperial boxes aren't there. Tri-Onyx Agates aren't there - not that those have a translucent base but I'm on a roll. lol

But anyway, the Ace is "opalescent".

There are some corks which I can't place with a name. But I'm not ready to chuck mystery marbles into the Ace heading. When all the translucent mibs get lumped together, that shortchanges Aces.

Edit: lol, did you add the moss agate question while I wasn't looking?

Yes, some of the translucent base corks are moss agates. How many different color combos? That would be fun learning about. If that's possible.

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