Sample Kit - National<G> Onyx Marbles

[lstmmrbls]

The way the adds are printed those appear to be listed under Imported marbles???. Is that page 1920 or the year????? I would assume that is a page number and they are Peltiers. And boxed as one would expect. I notice Cerise does not say.Red?? Gropper sold only assortments of mixed colors except Cerise. Cerise were the only slags they sold separately . I assume the partitioned display boxes were the 100 count assorted slag boxes???

[hdesousa]

The way the adds are printed those appear to be listed under Imported marbles???. Is that page 1920 or the year????? I would assume that is a page number and they are Peltiers. And boxed as one would expect. I notice Cerise does not say.Red?? Gropper sold only assortments of mixed colors except Cerise. Cerise were the only slags they sold separately . I assume the partitioned display boxes were the 100 count assorted slag boxes???

The way the adds are printed those appear to be listed under Imported marbles???.

Only the GENUINE AGATES and FLINTS are imported. Look at the (wholesale) prices - up to $81 for 100, 7/8 - 1" You could buy a (small) box car load of Peltiers for that!

Is that page 1920 or the year?????

Yes

I would assume that is a page number and they are Peltiers.

Correct. It's a 1927 ad. The glass agates are Peltier - at least the Cerise and Prima. Akro used the word "onyx" as well.

And boxed as one would expect.

Why would you expect that? I've never seen that arrangement. The Cerise were packed 25 to a box in three different sizes. The Primas were packed 50 to a box, also in three different sizes. Wonder what they meant by "assorted color combinations", for the Primas?

Gropper sold only assortments of mixed colors except Cerise. Cerise were the only slags they sold separately

Akro did that as well, with their Cardinal Reds.

I assume the partitioned display boxes were the 100 count assorted slag boxes???

nope. The Cerise were 25 to a box and the Prima 50 to a box.

[migbar]

Hansel, above the cerise and prima marbles, it shows boxes of 100 glass agate onyx marbles in assorted colors, and choice of 3 sizes, for reasonable money.

Maybe the primas appeared to be assorted colors due to the variety of them to the ad writer ?

[lstmmrbls]

https://www.google.com/search?q=marble+ads+in+toy+catalog&espv=210&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=NNQ9U5OnJaLWyQGJzoCIAQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=955 The assorted onyx are listed as 100 ct and 50 ct boxes. That makes sense to me The only one that seems off is the cerise and that may be wrong? Maybe they did put some in the 50 ct boxes?? Now thats one I would like to find if they exist.

[Steph]

I agree a beat up box usually makes the authenticity of the contents suspect. But in this case, the integrity of the 40 count spiral onyx box is good (corners, sides, top and bottom are intact), as if the box was handled a lot, but the contents not necessarily used. The marbles are not played with (some chipped, but the chips are in the box); I'm pretty sure the contents are original. Bought it on eBay in 2008 and was in touch with the owner, who was born in 1919 and not a marble collector. His name is written on the bottom of the box. The marbles are No.1 (not the usual No.0 for Akros 40 count boxes) and it would be very difficult for anyone, especially a non-marble collector, to back fill with unplayed marbles.

It's only been a few decades since anyone has been able to sort out Peltier marbles from Akro from Christensen, etc. (except perhaps the people at M.Gropper and Sons, may they R.I.P.)

I am highly persuaded by that.

This seems like it could be an example of a box which someone would be tempted to refill the box to make it more "authentic" and in that manner lose a clue to something which we might finally learn more about many years from now.

[ann]

Maybe the primas appeared to be assorted colors due to the variety of them to the ad writer ?

Good point -- we may be making too much of the ad writer's marble knowledge / information. The words "cerise" and "prima," which are specific marble types we associate only with Peltier, could have been used in the ad in a more generic way -- probably without anyone complaining. Maybe Belkap Hardware was just using current "buzzwords," or trying to capitalize on the cerise and prima names? No mention of Peltier or Gropper. And I don't believe I'd characterize cerises as glass agates having "beautiful dark color combinations." And heck, the person who prepared the drawings and the person who prepared the copy were almost never the same people -- and of the two, the drawer may have been the only one with actual marbles to go by. If even he did. Most of the marble depictions in ads of this age look an awful lot alike.

[lstmmrbls]

is it possible a store owner did it at the time and it was not a product of a distributor?

[mon]

I like how the "prima" box size is less than double the "cerise" box but weigh a 1/2 lbs per 100 more??

[hdesousa]

https://www.google.com/search?q=marble+ads+in+toy+catalog&espv=210&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=NNQ9U5OnJaLWyQGJzoCIAQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=955 The assorted onyx are listed as 100 ct and 50 ct boxes. That makes sense to me The only one that seems off is the cerise and that may be wrong? Maybe they did put some in the 50 ct boxes?? Now thats one I would like to find if they exist.

Ah! You're correct. I mis-read the ad. Partitioned display boxes were the 100 count assorted slag boxes.

[hdesousa]

I like how the "prima" box size is less than double the "cerise" box but weigh a 1/2 lbs per 100 more??

Think that weight is for 100 marbles. Same distribution of sizes between primas and cerise. Perhaps primas weigh a bit more? Perhaps empty boxes which hold 50 marbles weigh more than twice 25 count boxes?

[ann]

is it possible a store owner did it at the time and it was not a product of a distributor?

I think it's entirely possible. Possibly even likely.

[hdesousa]

I think it's entirely possible. Possibly even likely.

Likely possible, but not probable. I can see a store owner refilling an empty display box with entirely different bulk marbles from an as yet mysterious source. But why would some (rich) kid then buy an entire box of marbles that obviously did not look like the what's named on the label and then not play with them?

[lstmmrbls]

So are we suggesting back filled as the reason for non played with,.Because that box(50 ct)was obviously opened and closed dozens if not hundreds of times

[ann]

Likely possible, but not probable. I can see a store owner refilling an empty display box with entirely different bulk marbles from an as yet mysterious source. But why would some (rich) kid then buy an entire box of marbles that obviously did not look like the what's named on the label and then not play with them?

I didn't make that connection back to the box on the previous page. I was just speculating about the ad itself (post 74), without reference to the unplayed-with box. . .