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Please Help With Names For These Beauties


bermar

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Hi Burt: Commonly referred to as vintage 2 color, color base, hand-gathered swirls. Most likely from 1920s/1930s. Subject of much controversy over the years. At one time, they were thought to be made by the Christensen Agate Company because the colors were similar to their color palates and they sold for serious money. You will find pictures of some nice examples on pages 81 through 83 of Bob Block's 2003 Hard Cover Book titled "Collecting Early Machine Made Marbles". Bob Block no longer suggests that these marbles were made by CAC. Based on inconclusive research by a Canadian Collector, thinking shifted to possible Canadian origins. Today, as far as I am concerned, nobody knows for certain their exact origins and will probably never know. Alan Basinet used to say that the majority of these type marbles were found mostly in Canada, Australia and India. They are one of my favorite marbles and should be enjoyed and collected for their beauty of structure and unique color combinations. Many serious marble collectors have these marbles in their collections. Over the years, I have found them in sizes ranging from 5/8" to 27/32". Currently, there is one listed on eBay as a Vintage Mystery Marble because of the controversy. These marbles are not new subjects to this forum. Enjoy, Bob.

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Anything resembling a nine-and-tail?

(The colors seem right for the ones metalshelf is talking about -- and in the pics it looks like each may have a small straight-ish crease, or line pontil . . .)

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Yes Ann, each has what might be considered a "9" pattern with the end narrowing to a very thin tail. Good observation.

A keen imagination can see a small cut line on each. These belonged to Clyde. I wish he was here to tell us about them.

Thanks for any more discussion. Burt

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I miss Clyde. He was very helpful to me on a couple of occasions.

Since you confirmed my suspicions about the marbles -- and they were Clyde's -- I'd suggest that they are of the up-in-the-air type metalshelf discussed above. Once thought to be early Christensen Agate, now frustratingly slippery. I love them, and the whole time I've been collecting I've only managed to corner two -- one, a lucky find in the wild (red on yellow) and one painfully purchased from Alan B. (orangey red on deep blue/purple).

Enjoy them!

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This has been very helpful. Thank you, all. Here are two more that I need help with.

Both are 21/32" Hard to photo. Hope enough detail can be seen. Both have a seam,

"9"'s , and tail.

Left is opaque to translucent, Right is translucent.

Thanks again.

Burt

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post-254-0-63971900-1434143803_thumb.jpg

post-254-0-54206500-1434143812_thumb.jpg

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Both are 21/32" Hard to photo. Hope enough detail can be seen. Both have a seam,

"9"'s , and tail.

Left is opaque to translucent, Right is translucent.

They look like ones I have that are hand-gathered dug Akros. I don't have the teal, but I have three of the purple ones. In a sharp raking light you can see the very fine striations that give them a satin-y look in some places -- apparently a consequence of their burial at that particular site. It's most noticeable on the teal one in your photos, although on the last photo you get a hint of it on the purple, too. It's usually very hard to photograph -- good job.

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