Odd Akros

[hdesousa]

Recently bought on eBay from an antique store in Michigan. 11/16" marbles. Sellers say this is the way they came to them; they do not know marbles. They are uniformly dusty and have seemingly been together in this box for a long time. In common with CA american agates, (some of which are also hand gathered but have no rough pontil like these do) under fluorescent lighting, some (but not all) of the marbles take on a much browner hue. This is not seen with the Japanese marbles of this type.

[hdesousa]

More pics.

Many of the marbles have a 2mm to 5mm straight, raised or indented cut line.

[hdesousa]

a couple more pics

[1313]

in a recent purchase of akro marbles, quite a few of these marble were present, i didnt think much about it until this post?????

[hdesousa]

in a recent purchase of akro marbles, quite a few of these marble were present, i didnt think much about it until this post?????

See if some look brown under a fluorescent light.

[1313]

sold them within the hour!

[winnie]

You asked this before in the thread:-anyone have any beautiful Akro's- and i answered that they look like the so called "German"transitionals,maybe you didn't saw it.

Most of the "Germans"have indented cut lines and some are smooth.

Here are some of mine for comparison.

[I'llhavethat1]

Interesting that those ended up in an Akro box. My guess would be non-Akro marbles.

[hdesousa]

You asked this before in the thread:-anyone have any beautiful Akro's- and i answered that they look like the so called "German"transitionals,maybe you didn't saw it.

Most of the "Germans"have indented cut lines and some are smooth.

Here are some of mine for comparison.

hi Winnie,

Thanks for the pic. I think your marbles have a different gather and cut-off than the marbles I pictured. Do some of them turn brown under fluorescent lighting?

What makes you call these German marbles? Do you have them in different colors? They look very similar to marbles that come in boxes marked "Made in Japan".

see "Crease Pontil Transitionals"

here:

http://www.marblecollecting.com/marble-reference/online-marble-id-guide/transitions/

[clydetul62]

I know that companies sometimes back filled later. But what year did Akro make that box?

[winnie]

Hi Hdesousa (is that your name?),

The marbles i've posted,have short straight cut off lines,and some have not,they're smooth.

I've learned from American marble forums that they are made probably in Germany,although i personally doubt the country of origin.

With blacklight the red turns into a kind of brownish purple color.

I have other colors but they have a messy spidery cut off,so probably Japanese.

How can you tell my marbles have a different gather and cut off than yours?

Now that i look again at your pictures it seams they are a bit translucent?

[winnie]

Here are the cut-off's from my marbles,for comparison.

[lstmmrbls]

IMO it is an obviously back filled box.

[hdesousa]

Hi Winnie,

Thought I saw long curved pontils and long tails of red glass on your first pics, that's why I had thought the marbles were different from the marbles I posted. But with your most recent pics, and your description of short straight pontils and brown coloration under UV light, I suspect our marbles are similar. Do yours come in any other colors?

Would you say they are Pinch Pontil Transitionals?

"Pinch Pontil Transitionals exhibit a short straight raised line on the bottom pole. Usually, the top pole has a “9” type configuration. The cut-off line on a Pinch Pontil is much straighter and usually much shorter than that seen on the Crease Pontils discussed below. The crease on Crease Pontils usually are about 1/5th to 1/4 the circumference of the marble. The pontil on a Pinch Pontil are usually less than 1/10th the circumference of the marble. There is still discussion amongst collectors over the age and origin of these marbles. It was generally believed that Pinch Pontil Transitionals are American made, probably early Christensen Agate Company. However, recent research has indicated that the marbles were made in Canada. The pontil is the remnant of a mechanized shearing process, rather than a hand-cut process." http://www.marblecollecting.com/marble-reference/online-marble-id-guide/transitions/

Doubt there's any evidence they're made in Canada, other than they are more commonly found there than in the US (but so are large ribbon lutz marbles).

Can you provide links to where your marbles were described as German? Much marble information is more speculative than factual.

regards, Hansel

[winnie]

If you type transitional in advanced search at LOM,you will get a lot of posts of transitionals.

This is Rogers (browse for antique) site.

http://members.kingston.net/browse/transpics/trans2.html

He explained the differences in cut off's,he called the messy spidering a pinch and the short straight he called a line.

So it's a bit confusing for me,thats why i prefer to describe the sort of cut off :spidery-short straight line-long straight cut off etc.

Here's a pic- of the colors which i've found in Holland,they all have a short straight indented cut off,a pinch as you would call it and a line cut off as Roger would call it.

[hdesousa]

^{Great link to Roger's classification of transition pontils. Thanks. That appears to be a good way of sorting out the various pontils. So those in my Akro box have "line" pontils}

Roger says they've been found as complete early Solitaire Sets from Britain. Interesting, and thanks again for the link and info.