Numbers on marbles

[Skeezix]

Am I seeing things, a 7 and a 2, or are there numbers on marbles.?  🙂

[Al Oregon]

You can read all kinds of numbers or letters from the patterns on the marbles.  Unless they are contemporary marbles specifically made with number or letters, they are accidental.  Some people do collect these odd patterns.  Here is my "State" marble.

[Steph]

I had a sweet cursive S on a marble.  When I asked someone if it was on purpose, they said no and I was disappointed.  I didn't realize that it was cool with or without the design being intentional.  So I let it go back into the big bowl of marbles, and I'm pretty sure it finally went away.  

[I'llhavethat1]

Yeah, they do catch the eye.  Obviously non-intentional but still neat to notice.

[wvrons]

Some collect the numbers and some collect the letters. Some numbers or letters can look very good. The C  or  S are very common patterns. These can help in some identifications. The old thoughts of a V meant Vitro is not correct. Many companies have marbles with a V. Another common pattern is the bird wings or a W.  Old handmade sulfide marbles can have nice numbers inside, made intentional with numbers. Some try to collect the Sulfides with numbers 1 to 0. But that can take a long time and get expensive. No machine made marble with a number was intentional. Some marbles have decal or printing on them which is intentional. Many of the C-S- or V patterns come form a very short glass stream from the furnace to the shear. The stream does not have time or length to twist as it falls. So the short glass stream just folds over on itself as it hits the shear and makes the C or the V is slightly tighter, and the S pattern just had time enough to begin to swirl.  Hot glass flowing down is like water flowing down your sink drain. It twist or turns in a swirl as it flows downward. This action can make a pattern on the outside of the marble. A long glass stream to the shear and you get more twist before it is sheared and drops to the machine roll grooves. 

[Berryb]

Do animals count? I have a crane and a dog. Actually 2 dogs, an afghan inside the profile of a newfoundland. I think I spend too much time lookin' at marbles.

Bruce

[Steph]

[mibcapper]

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[Alan]

[Marbleized]

On 3/13/2020 at 11:58 PM, wvrons said:

Some collect the numbers and some collect the letters. Some numbers or letters can look very good. The C  or  S are very common patterns. These can help in some identifications. The old thoughts of a V meant Vitro is not correct. Many companies have marbles with a V. Another common pattern is the bird wings or a W.  Old handmade sulfide marbles can have nice numbers inside, made intentional with numbers. Some try to collect the Sulfides with numbers 1 to 0. But that can take a long time and get expensive. No machine made marble with a number was intentional. Some marbles have decal or printing on them which is intentional. Many of the C-S- or V patterns come form a very short glass stream from the furnace to the shear. The stream does not have time or length to twist as it falls. So the short glass stream just folds over on itself as it hits the shear and makes the C or the V is slightly tighter, and the S pattern just had time enough to begin to swirl.  Hot glass flowing down is like water flowing down your sink drain. It twist or turns in a swirl as it flows downward. This action can make a pattern on the outside of the marble. A long glass stream to the shear and you get more twist before it is sheared and drops to the machine roll grooves. 

So that's what determines the patterns!  I can see it now! Thanks for sharing.

[Woodse]

BerryB, love the dog marble. Gonna look through mine for some critters.

[Skeezix]

Wow, absolutely fantastic. Hope to see more posted.