Fire Sale

[William Marbles]

Hello Everyone!!!!!

Can anyone tell me about these?

I'll tell ya what I know.....

Title

Alley Agate Marble Factory Tools Akron Ohio Estate Find Antique Unique Vintage

For sale is a pair of tools from the American Toy and Marble Manufacturing Co. I acquired the tools at an estate sale of a man from Akron Ohio who had acquired to tools from the factory. One Is 17" Long - Other Is 13 1/2" Long. I do not know their original use, one has some writting stamped in it but it is hard to make out.

Then I got this as an email....

Only info I have is what was passed to me when I purchased it. Was informed that these were picked from the rubble of the factory after a fire. The man who had found them had passed on but his family passed the story down to me.

Okay, that's all I have. I can see that both are threaded at one end. So what did they screw into?

Does anyone know if there are paten plans on these?

Hope you all can shed some light on these.

Thanks!!!!!

[FISHSLAYERMARRBLEGRIFF]

Glass handling tongs.Handles screwed into the end?

[William Marbles]

Hmmmm, I don't know. Handling, like mixing the glass??

Did one of the two marble company's mentioned catch fire?

[FISHSLAYERMARRBLEGRIFF]

No,,,,for picking up glass items after they have been made,,,,,vase/stem ware things like that.

Would handle them carefully,I dont know it thats an asbestos or fiberglass wrap on the tongs.

[wvrons]

These are most likely tools that were inside the Pennsboro WV, Alley factory building. These tools and this type have nothing at all to do with Alley marbles or making marbles. A local WV marble dealer bought lots of items at the auction at the old Alley factory in Pennsboro a few years back. He has sold several of these and several old rusted wore out plugged glass blow pipes and glass pipe rods listed as from the Alley marble factory. But NONE has anything to do with marbles. There were several glass companies that occupied the Pennsboro WV building after Alley moved to the St.Marys WV location. Pennsboro Glass was there,Cardinal Glass was there and others. These tools and blow pipes rods were used in making stemware type glass items. They made all shapes and sizes of clear vases,globes,wine glass,brandy sniffers,a big variety. The tools were used to hold the hot pieces of glass moving it from place to place. The glass items were all blown into and made in molds then different pieces added,handles,feet,stems,etc. A person called a carry over person would carry the main hot piece of glass to a worker who may attach the foot or bottom. The the carry over would take it to the next person who might attach a handle to the main piece. The the carry over person may take it and place it in the annealing oven or lear to cool slowely. These were tools used to handle hot glass stemware types during the production process. There were hundreds of the different tools at the old Alley marble factory in Pennsboro WV. But NONE had anything to do with L.E. Alley or producing marbles AT ALL. One seller from WV on ebay has sold several of these tools and blow pipes over the last several years to many marble collectors and others. In my opinion the listings can be somewhat misleading. These were probably purchased from this seller and connected wrong to the Pennsboro WV Alley marble factory. The St.Marys WV, Alley marble factory did catch fire and burn. I can understand how most of the title and all this come about except the Akron OH estate words. BUT this is Ebay and it does not have to be true. Someone probaby won these on ebay and are now stuck trying to get rid of them to get their money back. I was there for the auction years ago. I have also found these tools on the surface while digging marbles at the Pennsboro Alley site. I also know or knew a few people who worked in the old Pennsboro Alley building for the later glass companies and used these glass tools. Sammy Hogue,Barney Seece,Dave McCullogh,Jim Davis,many others.

[William Marbles]

Wow..... Thanks everyone for the info....

Hmmmm Well I got these on eBay from :

Morris, Indiana,

Seller: zaydertader

Now looking at these I can see that they was used as described above. Well, I'll still hang them up, still pretty neat looking.

Thanks again!!!!!

[Poplarhead]

I will tell you where there were piles of these - Chemistry laboratories... these same type of tools were what held flasks etc you were heating in the old days... I know I saw many.. Chemist Don... hah