Best Marbles For Long Term Investing and Flipping

[Elftan]

Hello Brothers, 
I am a serious cross collector interested in branching out, I found that marbles can fetch a good price depending on the type. 

Here's what I want to know. What is the Alpha Rare Black Lotus of Marbles? 

I want to know what the best marbles for holding onto long term are and what the best are for quick acquisition and flipping for a quick profit?  
I know a lot of you are here for building and growing a collection but I don't care for sentimental value and only care for the numbers. 

I have extensive research on marbles and my research shows that glow in the dark ones from the early 2000s show the best potential growth over a 5 year time span.  

What is the price of bulk? 

[BobBlock]

I think anyone who approaches marble collecting as an "investment vehicle" is on a fool's errand. There are a number of formidable barriers to surmount to achieve any kind of meaningful return while minimizing your risk, that if this your primary goal in collecting, then you are going to be disappointed. Amongst these are barriers to entry due to highly specialized knowledge required, high transaction costs, thin resale market, etc.

 

IMHO people should collect marbles for the beauty and the joy of collecting. If they happen to appreciate in value then that's a bonus. I've said in my books for the past 20 or so years, don't buy it unless you're willing to put it on your shelf and look at it for a long time.

 

There are a lot easier and less risky ways to earn a return on your investment funds than with marbles.

[Lutzy!]

Well said, Bob. My thoughts put into proper context.

[slagmarble]

Wrong hobby...

And while there were 1100 alphas printed with an unknown number destroyed/damaged there isn't a good way to assign absolute rarity to a certain type of marble.  There also isn't an independent grading authority to settle disputes on condition relating to price like bgs/psa.

[Alan]

I remember when red micas and Sulphides were The Hotness - and few people wanted machine mades.

[morganmarble]

To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand marble collecting.

[Greatmacscott]

Great Question and often asked by beginning collectors and investment speculators. I went to my chicken coop for an example.

Which chicken lays the golden eggs?

[Greatmacscott]

I give advice similar to Bob's, "Collect what you like, not what you think will be hot." Hot cools off

[manddrakes]

13 hours ago, BobBlock said:

I think anyone who approaches marble collecting as an "investment vehicle" is on a fool's errand. There are a number of formidable barriers to surmount to achieve any kind of meaningful return while minimizing your risk, that if this your primary goal in collecting, then you are going to be disappointed. Amongst these are barriers to entry due to highly specialized knowledge required, high transaction costs, thin resale market, etc.

 

IMHO people should collect marbles for the beauty and the joy of collecting. If they happen to appreciate in value then that's a bonus. I've said in my books for the past 20 or so years, don't buy it unless you're willing to put it on your shelf and look at it for a long time.

 

There are a lot easier and less risky ways to earn a return on your investment funds than with marbles.

I agree!

[manddrakes]

2 hours ago, morganmarble said:

To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand marble collecting.

Yes, this community is full of individuals with very high IQ's and I'm glad to be part of this community!

[manddrakes]

28 minutes ago, Greatmacscott said:

Great Question and often asked by beginning collectors and investment speculators. I went to my chicken coop for an example.

Which chicken lays the golden eggs?

I like the last one!

[Elftan]

Thanks for the advice. So your saying I should purchase marbles with chickens inside them since they lay golden eggs. Does it work like the goose in Jack and the bean stalk? 

I'm still wondering what the price of bulk is, if someone has this information it would be great to know. 

[BobBlock]

9 hours ago, Elftan said:

Thanks for the advice. So your saying I should purchase marbles with chickens inside them since they lay golden eggs. Does it work like the goose in Jack and the bean stalk? 

I'm still wondering what the price of bulk is, if someone has this information it would be great to know. 

If you take a chicken sulphide, and plant it in the ground, then the next morning you should have a beanstalk to climb :-)

[ManofKent]

11 hours ago, Elftan said:

I'm still wondering what the price of bulk is, if someone has this information it would be great to know. 

It depends what you're after and where you buy from 

$60 will get you 20lbs of nice but plain marbles from a bulk seller with very little searching. Fancier marbles will cost you more... I suspect you can buy in bulk directly from either Vacor, Marble King  or one of the Chinese manufacturers if you want to take a gamble on current lines increasing in value. I suspect most dealers buy from auctions, I also suspect there are very few dealers who would consider themselves wealthy. 

[slagmarble]

Get yourself some Christensen Exotics from...somewhere...and slowly bleed those out at super high prices.  Since you'd have the market cornered on new supply you can let demand handle the rest.

[manddrakes]

11 hours ago, BobBlock said:

If you take a chicken sulphide, and plant it in the ground, then the next morning you should have a beanstalk to climb :-)

Now that is some funny shit... LMAO!

[Royal3]

(I’m looking for a clapping emoji) 

[greg11]

On 12/22/2017 at 4:35 PM, slagmarble said:

Get yourself some Christensen Exotics from...somewhere...and slowly bleed those out at super high prices.  Since you'd have the market cornered on new supply you can let demand handle the rest.

invest in a backhoe and go get the rest of the exotics still buried in the ground, was it a street or a drainage pipe?

 

[greg11]

and this dig 

 

The Akro Agate factory site as it exists today covers some two acres. Late in 1997 and into early 1998 one of the buildings was demolished, revealing large numbers of discarded marbles beneath the foundation. Many experimental types, which were rejected by the company, were discovered due to this incident. This find was termed the "Old Annex" site. Toward the end of 1998 and additional discovery was made in the drainage system used by the factory. Dubbed the "French Drain" site, it yielded multitudes of marbles, again many of them experimental varieties that did not "make the grade." Several new oxblood marble types have entered the market as a consequence of the frantic digging that took place here.

[Alan]

1 hour ago, greg11 said:

and this dig 

 

The Akro Agate factory site as it exists today covers some two acres. Late in 1997 and into early 1998 one of the buildings was demolished, revealing large numbers of discarded marbles beneath the foundation. Many experimental types, which were rejected by the company, were discovered due to this incident. This find was termed the "Old Annex" site. Toward the end of 1998 and additional discovery was made in the drainage system used by the factory. Dubbed the "French Drain" site, it yielded multitudes of marbles, again many of them experimental varieties that did not "make the grade." Several new oxblood marble types have entered the market as a consequence of the frantic digging that took place here.

About 15 years late for that party.

[Nantucketdink]

I guess the best marbles for immediately buying and flipping would be just made runs of D.A.S. Marbles.  Buy a 20 pound case for$300-350 and sell off the best of the case individually immediately.  There is some real potential there if you have the motivation

[MARBLEMISER]

I have a few that may be what you're looking for.

How many thousands were you thinking of investing.

Here are a few.

thanks

marblemiser

 

[Killermarbles]

I’ll take that one