Ninja!

[Gnome Punter]

Anyone ever get these ?

I used to when I sold comic books.

It was fairly funny at times, other times it sucked.

The funny times would be when half of the people and a sniper set up like Bay genie and you would get 20 bids in the last 5 seconds and 1 winner smiling and people with slow computers sending hate mail to their sniper service

In comics you could count on 1/3 or 1/4 of the watchers being actual bidders and the rest being tourists

In marbles, or so I have seen,, it seems like 2/3 are usually bidders and 1/3 are tourists.

Either way this will be interesting

[William Marbles]

Hey Gnome, I was checking out that Golden Rebel Pee Wee.... I think that's been polished. Might want to look at it a bit closer.

..half circles, feathered seams, white spot's in holes.

[wediscount2]

Gnome, not trying to upset your apple cart but quite a few of the marbles you have on auction have either been polished or hard buffed or buffed. The PeeWee Golden Rebel has definitely beyond any doubt been polished. Ronnie

[zaboo]

^{I don't think i would call that popeye mint either. The surface scratches make me wonder on it.....and a subsurface moon as well. just sayin....}

[Gnome Punter]

It is ok, it is all new to me grading seems screwy to be honest. People use 20 different approaches and I have no idea where to place marbles

I see near Mint containing everything from Moons to outright hles, then I see mint covering a scale that allows a chip and flea bites to a perfect marbles.

A standardized break down would be so nice.

Per polished I asked Leroy and he said it did not appear it had been to him.

I spoke with Galen and he said yes, then said maybe and said it looked like it had sat on a beach (??)

I am easy and fair. If a person buys anything from me it comes with a no-questions 14 day refund. There is no point in arguing with people whom are not happy, learned this years back, so it is best just to let them send it back.

I posted pics so people would help me with this, I think I should have elaborated the other day

I buy marbles I find pretty and when I have sold marbles over the last month it has been items that came in lots and I had no like for them or I was playing about on ebay.

These where the marbles sent to me to sell for the Lady who's husband had passed and he had left a collection behind.

I take all criticism as help,so do not fear.

[Gnome Punter]

Did not get to finish my post Writing you all from the pool...praying for the sorm to hit as I am roasting out here.

ANY listings that have the potential to have been polished, let me know.

I would like to add a disclaimer so as not to be viewed as intentionally misleading people,who like myself, may not know what a polished marble looks like

Also if you THINK but are not sure, let me know the listing and I will take macrophotos of marble surface with lightangeled to display anysurface marks.

Also,tell me how a marble is polished lol. I saw some of wediscounts marble that he had marked as polished,to try and get an understanding.but he had marbles marked as polished that had pock marks,holes and the such which just confused me more.

I also, at least I think Ido, understand there are degrees of polishing with buffin being considered as in the same clas as grinding off the surface...so now only do I not know what to look for, I think I am befuddled as well

Iemailed my friendandtold her what was said,she has no idea.Shesaidherhusband would buy marbles at shows andthat was that so Iam assuming anymarble that may have been polished,was sold to him without knowledge.I do not think there is any deception going on just a general, likewith myselflack of knowledge relating to polished marbles

Thanks guys

[wediscount2]

Did not get to finish my post Writing you all from the pool...praying for the sorm to hit as I am roasting out here.

ANY listings that have the potential to have been polished, let me know.

I would like to add a disclaimer so as not to be viewed as intentionally misleading people,who like myself, may not know what a polished marble looks like

Also if you THINK but are not sure, let me know the listing and I will take macrophotos of marble surface with lightangeled to display anysurface marks.

Also,tell me how a marble is polished lol. I saw some of wediscounts marble that he had marked as polished,to try and get an understanding.but he had marbles marked as polished that had pock marks,holes and the such which just confused me more.

I also, at least I think Ido, understand there are degrees of polishing with buffin being considered as in the same clas as grinding off the surface...so now only do I not know what to look for, I think I am befuddled as well

Iemailed my friendandtold her what was said,she has no idea.Shesaidherhusband would buy marbles at shows andthat was that so Iam assuming anymarble that may have been polished,was sold to him without knowledge.I do not think there is any deception going on just a general, likewith myselflack of knowledge relating to polished marbles

Thanks guys

Gnome, you have that backwards. Buffing is normally kinder to the marble than polishing. (my view on the subject). If I list a marble as lightly buffed, then that means haze, and light scratches could have been removed from the marble. If I list a marble as buffed then in addition to haze and light scratches, medium and deep scratches along with small flea bites and very small tiny chips could have been removed. If I list a marble as polished than anything and everything could have been done to it. Ronnie PS: my opinion on some of your auction marbles. I didn't look at all of them I quit after the golden rebel peewee. 37/64ths brick Polished-- 41/64ths superman Polished--43/64ths ketchup & mustard Hard Buffed-- 45/64ths 3 color cork and the peltier rebel Buffed or they need toothbrushed as it appears there is grinding grit inside the bubble pops. Also on any of your auction marbles with bubble pops, if the perimeter edges of the marble are sharp and level with the adjacent glass then that marble has been buffed or polished. If the perimeter edge is rounded and slopes downward then it is a normal bubble pop. Ronnie

[lstmmrbls]

Glad to see you are looking to do the right thing Gnomehater. Too many do not care when selling. Sorry but ignorance of what a polished marble looks like as an excuse to sell it just does seem excusable. Maybe I say that because I have seen too many dealers pass on marbles they know are buffed and polished using the excuse they do not know. And I have had more than 1 get mad at me when someone has walked a marble over to me at a show they are thinking of buying, for my opinion, and I tell them it is polished. Most buyers do not carry a magnifier which is a must unless you really know what to look for. And for a marble as beat as the one I was questioned about It was barely in collectible condition no matter what had been done to it IMO. In hand is also a must for many to know exactly what has been done to it.

There are many ways to buff and polish marbles. Many do not remove most of the damage just add shine. It hardly costs anything to get a leather pad and some polishing compound to buff a marble and see what it looks like under magnification. And anyone can send some off to Leroy for a full polish job and some for final stepl polish to examine under magnification. I feel that if you are a collector and a seller you should know what you are selling! It really is sad when you see folks finding out the mibs they spent good money on are a cheap polish job.

[Gnome Punter]

I had a friend send me a message concerning the rebel. That way I can put out the possibility of it being polished.

I have sent several marbles to Leroy for polishing. These are my personal marbles and I am hoping it will help me see what to look for. I have also sent off a brick to Santa to be fixed to see if that is obvious as well.

I do not wish to mislead anyone and the fact these are not my marbles makes it more so. It would be like helping a friend sell a car and finding out it is stolen I suppose...well, maybe not that bad

Gnome Punter...punting does NOT equate to hate...just fun !

Wediscount, I am sorry, your sentences ran together and I got confused

The K and M had dirt and, what I can only guess, was syrup caked to it. The grit left at the seam was my fault as it was dust/dirt and....coke, it HAD to be coke

I will get pics if you will drop links for me if they will help. If such is the case I would assume Mr.Stewart had been sold these marbles in this condition as his wife had never heard of polishing. She did say he found out in several instances he had been taken advantage of so this may just be another instance of such.

Now

Wediso^&^&^&s you have confused me more or perhaps it is your picture taking.

You said rounded is real, flat (sheered even I assume) is polished.

You listed this marble as polished but it slopes inward

[wediscount2]

I had a friend send me a message concerning the rebel. That way I can put out the possibility of it being polished.

I have sent several marbles to Leroy for polishing. These are my personal marbles and I am hoping it will help me see what to look for. I have also sent off a brick to Santa to be fixed to see if that is obvious as well.

I do not wish to mislead anyone and the fact these are not my marbles makes it more so. It would be like helping a friend sell a car and finding out it is stolen I suppose...well, maybe not that bad

Gnome Punter...punting does NOT equate to hate...just fun !

Wediscount, I am sorry, your sentences ran together and I got confused

The K and M had dirt and, what I can only guess, was syrup caked to it. The grit left at the seam was my fault as it was dust/dirt and....coke, it HAD to be coke

I will get pics if you will drop links for me if they will help. If such is the case I would assume Mr.Stewart had been sold these marbles in this condition as his wife had never heard of polishing. She did say he found out in several instances he had been taken advantage of so this may just be another instance of such.

Now

Wediso^&^&^&s you have confused me more or perhaps it is your picture taking.

You said rounded is real, flat (sheered even I assume) is polished.

You listed this marble as polished but it slopes inward

Gnome, I mean no offense but learning to tell the condition of a marble takes a lot of hands on observation. If you rely on others to grade your material your going to get a lot of different opinions. Your better off saying your uncertain as to the condition and put up a lot of good clear photos and then put in your description that the photos are a part of my description and let the bidders be the judge. Ronnie

[lstmmrbls]

Some types of polishing will sharpen the edges of a rounded edge(melted) bubble pop. Some will not. Buffing polishing by hand or pad for example can add shine without putting an edge on melted pops. Also the are hits that can leave a sharp edge and the appearance of being polished when nothing has been done. It is not always easy, thats for sure.

[Gnome Punter]

Some types of polishing will sharpen the edges of a rounded edge(melted) bubble pop. Some will not. Buffing polishing by hand or pad for example can add shine without putting an edge on melted pops. Also the are hits that can leave a sharp edge and the appearance of being polished when nothing has been done. It is not always easy, thats for sure.

Ok

Let me put this out there...I see no issue with taking some wax and buffing a marble by hand. It will not actually alter the marble so I am unsure why that falls into the catagory polishing when removing glass to change the entire marble is

1 should be called polishing and the other restoration IMO

[clydetul62]

Anytime you alter the appearance of a marble to sell is frown upon. I would get mad if a seller put wax on a marble to shine it up and then get it in the mail this non wet marble?. Do you say in your listing you waxed it? Now I would have to decide whether its worth my trouble to return or not. We had this type of convo here when Ronnie was outed for failure to disclose with said alterations. In marbles to alter the appearance in any way with out revealing is fraud.

[William Marbles]

If you feel like the marble needs something.... then it's not a Mint marble. a mint marble needs only eye's to look at it.

Welcome to the world of High End Marble Collecting

....think of them as little round dishes...

[wediscount2]

Anytime you alter the appearance of a marble to sell is frown upon. I would get mad if a seller put wax on a marble to shine it up and then get it in the mail this non wet marble?. Do you say in your listing you waxed it? Now I would have to decide whether its worth my trouble to return or not. We had this type of convo here when Ronnie was outed for failure to disclose with said alterations. In marbles to alter the appearance in any way with out revealing is fraud.

Clyde, Tired of you throwing my name around when you have no cause to do so. It's not my fault that life dealt you a bad hand but quit trying to take it out on me. Ronnie

[lstmmrbls]

Clyde is referencing this http://marbleconnection.com/topic/18055-polished/?hl=polished posts 6 and 11 say a lot. Ronnie remember this Ebay buyer phbern1917

Gnomebeater, most(buffing)polishing by unscrupulous dealers and polishers in general is done with some kind of polishing compound,(tin oxide, cerium oxide, jewelers rouge etc.) some may even use weak hydroflouric acid(which will even round edges). I wonder if some just use a wet leather pad at high speed? (Still removes glass} Even though some insist these methods do not remove glass, that just is not true.(it does remove glass, that is how it polishes).Hydroflouric acid actually dissolves glass. When using wax or floor polish you are not removing glass but it is sometimes still used to deceive.

[Gnome Punter]

Clyde, Tired of you throwing my name around when you have no cause to do so. It's not my fault that life dealt you a bad hand but quit trying to take it out on me. Ronnie

Wediscounts,

If it is something that persists then if you take the air out of it the flame will die. If you keep blowing on it as someone tries to bring it back to life, then all you are doing is fanning those flames.

Being here a whole 2 weeks I have noticed you get suckered and baited in real fast...Someone throws some troll bait and you dive on it and PEW......Let it go. If you feel ok with it and the site does not have an issue with you,then ignore the posts.

William, I had no intentions of doing ANYTHING other than spit and pants leg, period If it looks like ass after I remove dirt and dust it goes into the poo pile. Hell,that larger brick almost went there because of that big assed hole. I saw past listing where they sold with the hole and if I had not it never would have been listed. I see no reason why people would buy a beat up marble or why they need a place holder...It's not like it is a 51 or 52 Mantel. Odds are it is an abundant, made in the MILLIONS, 50-300.00 marble so why settle >?

Ist, is that a real marble part of the way down an onion in an onion ? Almost looks CGI That would be one beautiful marble

I need me a detailed break down of 9.0-9.6

[wediscount2]

Wediscounts,

If it is something that persists then if you take the air out of it the flame will die. If you keep blowing on it as someone tries to bring it back to life, then all you are doing is fanning those flames.

Being here a whole 2 weeks I have noticed you get suckered and baited in real fast...Someone throws some troll bait and you dive on it and PEW......Let it go. If you feel ok with it and the site does not have an issue with you,then ignore the posts.

William, I had no intentions of doing ANYTHING other than spit and pants leg, period If it looks like ass after I remove dirt and dust it goes into the poo pile. Hell,that larger brick almost went there because of that big assed hole. I saw past listing where they sold with the hole and if I had not it never would have been listed. I see no reason why people would buy a beat up marble or why they need a place holder...It's not like it is a 51 or 52 Mantel. Odds are it is an abundant, made in the MILLIONS, 50-300.00 marble so why settle >?

Ist, is that a real marble part of the way down an onion in an onion ? Almost looks CGI That would be one beautiful marble

I need me a detailed break down of 9.0-9.6

Gnome, thanks for the advice. It's hard to take it though when someone is digging in your personal matters. O'h well have a good one. Ronnie

[lstmmrbls]

Sorry Ronnie but it goes way past personal matters when it involves more folks than yourself.

Yes, Gnomiewhacker, there are actually 4 layers to that marble. The best I have figured(with agreement from several marble artists, is the glass is left on the punty from the previous marble to act as a base(instead of cleaning the rod and starting again with clear) After this is done a few times you get what is shown in that ground down marble Clyde owns.

The number system is actually pretty worthless when it comes to marbles. Mainly because there is no standardized description. And most sellers have there own description for the numbers. Even MarbleAlan sold non-mint marbles as 9.6. But folks still want numbers for some reason. Mint should mean mint, no damage no dings no flea bites no moons no fractures. Damage fro manufacture, pops and surface pulls done during the manufacturing process would make a marble mint - in my book. Any marble with any hits at all, dings moons flea bites whatever should be called Near Mint. And even those terms will never be agreed upon by all. So if sellers just list all and any damage no matter what it is, the buyer should be happy.

[Gnome Punter]

Sorry Ronnie but it goes way past personal matters when it involves more folks than yourself.

Yes, Gnomiewhacker, there are actually 4 layers to that marble. The best I have figured(with agreement from several marble artists, is the glass is left on the punty from the previous marble to act as a base(instead of cleaning the rod and starting again with clear) After this is done a few times you get what is shown in that ground down marble Clyde owns.

The number system is actually pretty worthless when it comes to marbles. Mainly because there is no standardized description. And most sellers have there own description for the numbers. Even MarbleAlan sold non-mint marbles as 9.6. But folks still want numbers for some reason. Mint should mean mint, no damage no dings no flea bites no moons no fractures. Damage fro manufacture, pops and surface pulls done during the manufacturing process would make a marble mint - in my book. Any marble with any hits at all, dings moons flea bites whatever should be called Near Mint. And even those terms will never be agreed upon by all. So if sellers just list all and any damage no matter what it is, the buyer should be happy.

OK

That may be why Zaboo had issue with my term mint

Ok

Wet mint 9.9-10.0 ( I really think no marble is a 10 since it hits other marbles going down the tract and thus gets a flea bite)

Mint 9.8 (it;s own grade)

Mint 9.4-9.7 (This marble has flea bites from 3 for the higher grade up to 6 for the lower. It has 1 impact marke but SMALL for the lower grade and I DO mean small)

9.2 This marble has multipel flea bites but still only 1 small impact. I mean impact the size of a flea

9.0 This marble has flea bites or 1-2 SMALL impacts or a Blow hole. A marble with Blwo holes,bites AND an impact mark or 2 would fall into the NM catagory

See, I am trying to apply Ephemera on the surface to glass

Ephemera has a MUCH MORE extreme form of grading applied to it.

A 9.8 is the goal for any comic book. That book CAN HAVE a printers defect and it HAS to be near undetectable OR possibly misaligned staples (Sounds crazy for a comic right ?) OR printer borders for panels, on the inside ,extending further than normal but BARELY

A 9.6 withh have a single, impercetable except under zoom, brek on the spin that DOES NOT break the color

A 9.4 Will allow for 1 lone color break under 1/2 an inch....

9.2 Will allow for 2 color breaks and slight color issues with the base paper. White to cream white

9.0 Allows for 3 spine breaks, 1 with color, all less than 1/2 an inch, mild coloration issues, by 1-2 shades on the internal pages

For all intents and purposes, if you look at a 9.4 comic and a 9.8 YOU will not be able to tell the difference. I will barely be able to tell BUT a 9.2 to a 9.4 can be seen some times but it is obvious from a 9.2 compared to a 9.8

I sold an 8.0 Ironman 55 last year for 890.00. A 3.0, "good" condition would sell for 100.00 while a 9.8 went for 3000

So perhaps the need for intense grading exists in comics BECAUSE it has millions of fans and fans are picky

Marbles do not have a standardized grading scale. I posted a slag and to me , by how i view marbles, it was a 9.0. Bob chatted me over it and said it was an 8.8 to him. Confused I asked what he saw wrong and he saw a subsurface issue that I could not.

So I do think Bob may have a similar grading, slide scale that I do BUT....with a marble you need..YOU MUST use a 8-10x zoom to actually be able to "ses" the marble to nitpick those 9.4-9.8

NOW

With your remark, I can agree as a collector. HOWEVER, with ebay, the word NM scares me off. a NM marble to some people who are used to 10 different versions of mint can mean a really beat to hell marbles. A guy sold me 1000 marbles. MOST ARE MINT...i found less than 30 without damage. TO him MOST were mint.

So standardizing would help the hobby a LOT

[Steph]

Here is the scale MarbleAlan used:

http://www.grandpamarble.com/html/grading.html

Some people said his scale wasn't strict enough. I'll say it's a good line to hold. Anything less stringent than that seems meaningless to me.

[lstmmrbls]

If you read 9.3 to 9.6 which he called mint they could have damage. That was a problem. Lots of folks bought marbles they believed mint and now have near mint marbles. I knew to never buy anything 9.6 or less if I wanted a mint marble.

[zaboo]

I agree Galen the number system is a pain, but also like said, many people want to rely on a number grade. that's why I have my grading numbers posted under all my marbles, and usually also describe any issues. but no matter what ya do, there's that old saying... ya can't please all the people all the time. (and God only knows a marble should also have 'character. ROFL I never knew that was a requirement until recently!)

[Gnome Punter]

I agree Galen the number system is a pain, but also like said, many people want to rely on a number grade. that's why I have my grading numbers posted under all my marbles, and usually also describe any issues. but no matter what ya do, there's that old saying... ya can't please all the people all the time. (and God only knows a marble should also have 'character. ROFL I never knew that was a requirement until recently!)

OH I know...

What is worse is when you piss someone off on a forum and they buy JUST to leave a neg. I had that happen 2 years ago.

I had a guy, last year, buy a .99 card and it literally was thrown away by the wife as had slid into some papers on my desk

The guy goes off on a rant and flips out on me, leaves me a neg and proceeds to send harassing messages every few weeks with ebay doing nothing. I had to call ebay and quote Georgia law and threaten them. They banned him from ebay...and left the neg

THEN last year a guy buys, asks me to do the deal off ebay and wants to cancel the transaction and me send him 15% of the money back. I told him no and he left me 2 negs of which BOTH counted towards my feedback. He was a crook and ebays feedback system is broke. You buy 10 items, leave 10 feedback, it counts once. You buy 5 items, leave 5 negs, you get 5 hits to your ratio

I will work on what grading system fits my descriptions. I do think there should be consideration towards age on some marbles,but a chip should never be mint and I think a HIT, bigger than the tip of a nail shouldnt be either. I think flea bites are OK and a tiny annealing in some cases

Then again, I think Mint, Mint-,near mint,NM- would be too minimal on the back end.

If you have a marble that sells in mint for 5000.00 then the minuscule details will MATTER on the back end of the grading scale for one with damage.

I dunno

[Gnome Punter]

Also...

9.7-9.9 (Mint +): There is no damage present, even under magnification, though the marble is not quite a perfect "10."

That doesn;t even make sense. That is avoiding the situation so as not to put too fine a point on it

COuld work for out of round maybe,but that is all.

The difference between 1 grade point and another...is damage.

Now, the GAP between 9.0 and the next grade is MASSIVE

It allows for pin pricks...and then moons. That gap needs to be closed for it to have a better point on it IMO

I mean marble A sells for 10.00 at 9.0, well not it has a moon..gimmie 9.00.....that aint happening unless someone is desperate for the marble.

ALSO

I see people buying marbles that i wouldn;t even come close to the price because of the damage..it is baffling !