Dated find...

[lostafewofem]

ID'd and dated find...  was 2009 or this particular run anything "special"? 

[Steph]

In late 2007, I think it was, someone introduced aventurine into a run at Jabo.  That turned to oxblood.  It started a revolution which resulted in some very lovely marbles.

The 2007 oxblood inspired a series of "contract runs". Investors would come together and fund the runs, with the different special kinds of glass which each one had.  

So, what you have is from one of those contract runs, and having a labeled package for it, with the date and name of the run ... that is a good thing.  

 

Yes, I would call it "special".  

[lostafewofem]

What about those 3 oddities in there?  What do you call those with the speckles on them?  I found them as part of that box.  Does that make it even more special? 

[Steph]

Wellll .... most speckled marbles aren't special.  But some are.

And I _think_ that yes, the ones from a run like that could be.  In addition to experimenting with different kinds of glass, people also experimented with things like adding frit to the outside of the marble. 

That's as specific as I dare to try to get.

I don't know the finer points of what Jabo and DAS contract run collectors might be looking for.

(Re DAS -- the contract runs at Jabo were started under the supervision of Dave McCullough.  Eventually he and Jabo parted ways.  Contract runs continued under Jabo AND contract runs continued at a different site with Dave.  Dave's current operation is D.A.S. LLC.  D.A.S. for Dave's Appalachian Swirls.)

 

P.s.,Are any of the speckles made of lutz?  Coppery/golden bits which sparkle? That's always good.  

[Steph]

P.p.s., I better move this to the main chat area so that maybe a Jabo afficionado will see it.  I'll add a tag to the title.

[ann]

I got about 50 or so Ultras from Bermar back in the day, but I'm not sure if the speckled ones fit or not.  The only ones I know of were speckled mainly with lutz.

Steph's right about the oxblood - there are some really nice oxblood marbles in the Ultra run.  But mainly they glow.  Hit them with a UV light and they fire up a hot green . . . also a peculiar foggy turquoise color . . .

[wvrons]

 There were two Ultra runs at Jabo. The Ultra and the Ultra Plus. Both were ideas of and primarily funded by Ed Parsons from Ohio. Lots of oxblood in both runs. These were the early use of adding frit(speckles) to the marbles while hot. The frit is broken or crushed colored cullet or glass into very small pieces. This frit was added to the marbles by Griff from PA or myself. Griff did the majority of adding frit to many of the Jabo special investor runs.  The lutz frit additions came after the colored glass.

We were doing a special run at Jabo and the marbles were dark and looking plain. I told Griff we had to so something to help them. I was walking around outside thinking. Then I saw this small pile of tiny broken pieces of colored glass and dirt on the concrete. I scooped it up brought back inside and told Griff we need this on the marbles. He thought a while then got a styrofoam cup added water and the tiny glass pieces and dirt. Then he began to swish the cup around separating the glass pieces and dirt. He dried the glass pieces and then used that same cup to gently shake or add the small glass pieces to the hot marbles just as they hit the rollers. The styrofoam cup did not last long near the 1800 degree heat. So that was the begining of adding frit to the Jabo runs. Many changes and advancements were made with the methods of adding frit and gold lutz over the next few years by Griff. To many changes and better methods for adding frit to explain. He also came up with many ways of making different styles of frit. He endured a lot of heat fumes blood shot eyes and red sunburn like skin adding frit and lutz to many different Jabo runs for four years. I could do it and did it but not with the perfection and the amount of time that Griff did. So for certain people yes the frit(speckle)marbles have some special meaning.    

[Steph]

Thanks, Ron!

[lostafewofem]

Awesome!  I acquired these from a now deceased collector.  Am about to put out for sale.  Would you be interested in this set, wvrons?

These 3 speckles are dark translucent with oxblood ribbons in them and the frit(some lutz) imbedded in them.  The swirlies also seem to have the UV effect!

 

[wvrons]

Thank you for the offer but I have enough.