Help with Non Glass Marble

[orbboy]

Purchased a group of all non glass marbles. There were Spotted Dicks, stone, clay and other non glass in the grouping. All were as dirty as a marbles could get and I almost tossed this one in the junker bottle. However there was a bit of a pattern showing so I got out the good old Mr Clean Magic Eraser and went diligently about cleaning this one up. Glad I did, but what the heck is it?  I'm calling it my Bird Marble for now. You can all see the bird head right?  Maybe two birds if you count the white spot that looks like a demented turkey in the sixth pic.

[Steph]

@hdesousa  ! You here?

[hdesousa]

1 hour ago, Steph said:

@hdesousa  ! You here?

I'd guess its an agateware marble.  Carpet balls (bowls) better illustrate the use of variegated clays to simulate agate.

[hdesousa]

2 minutes ago, hdesousa said:

I'd guess its an agateware marble.  Carpet balls (bowls) better illustrate the use of variegated clays to simulate agate.

 

One of these is a hand faceted German agate.

[orbboy]

Hey Hansel.  Well those are cool as hell and look pretty close construction wise. However there looks to be a difference in materials? and glaze? are yours glazed? This one has never seen any glaze. Looking into a divot beside the brown spot real close looks to be the same material as used to make the brown Spotted Dicks. Quite grainy and coarse. The white is a little less coarse.  Pretty sure you have 50xed one of yours so you feel what I am trying to get across. Yours look to be  real fine grit? and for lack of a better term purposeful and made with intent. Mine strikes me as something that might have come off the bottom of the bucket and someone made it round? Guess mentioning the size might help as well it is at the biggest 31/32" to a hair under that generally. Pretty weird marble.

[hdesousa]

Hi Dave,

I was showing off and got a bit carried away.  You are correct. The carpet balls pictured were made with more care than your marble was, and they were glazed.  But the principle of construction is similar.  Still,  marbles like yours show up with sufficient frequency to make me think they were a production item. I'll add a pic of a group of smaller ones later.  Maybe this article and picture will better illustrate the technique of agateware production:

from: http://www.chipstone.org/article.php/78/Ceramics-in-America-2003/?s=michelle erickson