bumblebee Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 Several years ago at my first marble show a seller offered a vibrant Akro prize name cork with an electric light lime-aqua color in it that I've not seen since. He was selling it for $50. He said it was a very early example when there Arnold Fiedler was mixing up crazy colors (or possibly when someone else was using his recipes later), but I've since not seen any with those colors except a vibrant orange and blue and orange and green.Does anyone have more information on these, or pictures of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstmmrbls Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I believe Fiedler had left Akro before they began making corkscrews. But you are correct in it is possible his recipes were used as you can see similarities between early Akro colors, some Early Pelt colors and CAC colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumblebee Posted June 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 I'm assuming the colors on Akros are quite rare being as I've not seen them since. With marbles anything is possible. Could have been a single small "pot" glass batch someone mixed up, ran through the cork machine, and never made again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 I believe I know the color you're talking about -- unfortunately, the only pic I have is a small color-not-quite-right one of cullet. Maybe somebody will recognize the combo and post a cork pic. Took me some years to get 2 corks in this hard-to-find color combo. It's similar to the "Lifesaver" combo, but the (nicely-described!) "electric light lime-aqua" is very distinctive. Galen is right in saying the corks came after Fiedler's time at Akro -- his place was taken by an extraordinary glass chemist (Henry Helmer), and going by his recently-published secret "batch book" only a small handful of Fiedler's colors were retained. Virtually all of Akro's infinately varied colors can be safely attributed to Helmer. Here's the bad pic: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 I'm assuming the colors on Akros are quite rare being as I've not seen them since. With marbles anything is possible. Could have been a single small "pot" glass batch someone mixed up, ran through the cork machine, and never made again. This is also true -- except the someone can probably be identified as Helmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 . . . but I've since not seen any with those colors except a vibrant orange and blue and orange and green. Is this the vibrant orange and green combo you're talking about? (I have a weakness for Akro cullet): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumblebee Posted June 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Is this the vibrant orange and green combo you're talking about? (I have a weakness for Akro cullet): I feel like the one I saw was lighter, almost custard lime...it's been years but I'd know it if it I saw it. One of my countless "if I were a multi-millionaire" fantasies is to have my own glass factory where I'd recreate all the recipes in Helmer's book and hire artisans and engineers to create machines that would make 1.5" replicas of the original marbles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 Hmmm . . . are you thinking maybe of Akro's limeade? Also fluoresces under black light? More that color? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mon Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 Not a cork but is this the color? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumblebee Posted June 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 Really close, but lighter like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest browse4antiques Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 like this? .... Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumblebee Posted June 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 Yes! Except the one I saw was a two-color prize name, so it was a more vivid "swath" of that color. And for the life of me I cannot remember its second color. I suppose to conclusion to this is that Akro Agate made a mind-blowing variety of marbles sometimes in stunning, exotic colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 Variations in glass color are far more likely to be caused by changes in the amount of colorant, furnace temperature, weather (barometric pressure), degree of striking and a host of other factors. Keep in midn that amrble-making wasn't a precision business - despite collector's sometimes thiunking that it was. Batch and colorant were literally SHOVELED into the furnace. Keep in mind that Akro was shipping multiple train boxcar loads of marbles twice a week. Akro wasn't a short-run, small pot factory. The digs at Akro show us the variations that come from starts and ends of batches and all manner of problems. Small variations in colors are just that - variations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clydetul62 Posted June 21, 2013 Report Share Posted June 21, 2013 Some people think that a variation can bring more money. Finding variations can also be whole 'nother part of collecting. They are known as odd balls. I know a few collectors besides myself that collect these types. It's those variations that make them so sweet. As to being more vibrant I think you will find that the early part of most companies had more vibrant colors than their later years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaboo Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 agreed CT. akro did some neat pastel combos back then too. like the powder blues, custards, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann Posted June 24, 2013 Report Share Posted June 24, 2013 like this? .... Roger Yep -- that's what I call a "Lifesaver" color combo. In the one I was thinking of, the variant is the green having a little more aqua in it. And then I remembered you said it was a prize name, therefore only 2 colors . . . Some of my favorite Akros are those 2-color pastel ones Zaboo mentions -- I have a light green base with a thin lavender cork, a lavender base with a thin orange cork, and another one I don't remember the combo of, offhand - - - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann Posted June 24, 2013 Report Share Posted June 24, 2013 I suppose to conclusion to this is that Akro Agate made a mind-blowing variety of marbles sometimes in stunning, exotic colors. Yep, that's a reasonable conclusion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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