How About These for the Newb?

[Archerfire]

Four more! My retirement has to be hiding somewhere.. eventually. Yeah, not. But at least I'm enjoying myself!

I call that second one, "The Fried Egg" 😄

Sizes: .72, .79, .76, .61

[Chad G.]

First looks like a Possible Alley  ::  second is an agate (mineral sphere) :: 3rd looks like a polymer (is it lighter than the rest)  :: 5th Akro corkscrew

[Archerfire]

12 minutes ago, Chad G. said:

second is an agate (mineral sphere) :: 3rd looks like a polymer (is it lighter than the rest) 

It weighs the same as the agate at .3 on my scale and feels about the same in hand.

[Chad G.]

10 minutes ago, Archerfire said:

It weighs the same as the agate at .3 on my scale and feels about the same in hand.

Definitely not a polymer then, not sure who made it ??

[wvrons]

#1 Maybe Alley Pistachio

#2 stone mineral

#3 Contemporary

#4 Akro cork

[Fire1981]

Get a UV flashlight. Scan your marbles. Some will glow like ⚡️ bugs 🔥

[Archerfire]

30 minutes ago, Fire1981 said:

Get a UV flashlight. Scan your marbles. Some will glow like ⚡️ bugs 🔥

The 3rd one! Looks pretty cool.

 

[Carowill]

That should rule-out #1 as a Pistachio, as it should be UV+.  Still an Alley, however.

[William]

Nice cork...Love the colors

[Jeff54]

#3 Appears to be hand gathered in 1st photo. Under UV, I cannot see if it's helping but, also appear that it's Hand-gathered. Some dug-up Akros are red and yellow but usually less yellow, yet the more yellow the better. However, I can not be sure, in your photo if there's yellow or white? 

And there's the infamous Christensen agate Company (CAC), that is red and yellow, also hand-gathered, called a Red Devel which is so rare anybody in their right mind should be cautious or hesitate to say they think they have one. 

That appears to have an awfully nice mint and or smooth surface. The Akro Hand Gathered red and yellow can have a mint surface like that but, given the amount of yellow this appears to have, + the surface, not often or rather, I've never seen an Akro H-G in those colors whether more yellow or not that nice of a surface. . Typically Akro H-G red and yellow, are mint but mint with as made, not so smooth surface. Of course, though, as with more yellow the better: the smoother the better too, Akro cannot be ruled out. That marble, if it's red and yellow is worth investigating. 
 

    I can help somewhat as I own some scans, a lost friend sent me quite a while ago. (See attached scan at bottom)

Yet a difficulty occurred around 2003 or 4 when Akro's H-G marbles were uncovered.  1st and foremost is' nobody, absolutely none had clues those types existed other than common-colored slags. . Previously every opaque that was not a brick or oxblood HG thought to be USA made with the roller machine invented by Christensen and Son (M.F.C.) was thought to be Christensen Agate exclusively. 

So, there may be some mud in the water regarding a CAC 'Red Devil' identification. The same and similar with others dug up then too, but it's part of the story I am not covering with yours, just relative to understanding; "May be mud in the water". 

My Friend was convinced this scan is the real deal; CAC 'Red Devil' Yet, personally while I have a few of the Akro's dug, I would need, both in my hands, Akro and CAC to determine if there's a difference. The only other time I saw 'The Red Devil' Danny Turner 'Running Rabit' auctions sold for a major chunk pf dollars. That set a fire of desire and I think maybe one or two others were found after it, years before the Akro's popped up. I had copy and download the one Danny sold, but lost the photo in a dead hard drive around 1999-2001.

So as an aide to discovery, my friend only looked for the best and I think, he had the scans because he's bought (He used scan on all the had shown and owned before so,,.) or was considering owning it for a big chunk of change. 

 

Compare this red, as I would, if in hand, and yellow to yours. BTW it also looks like yours, based on the other scans of it I have, may have more yellow than this does and this also appears as if the red may be simi- translucent, I can't be sure though vs Akro's is  more opaque)

[Archerfire]

11 hours ago, Jeff54 said:

Some dug-up Akros are red and yellow but usually less yellow, yet the more yellow the better. However, I can not be sure, in your photo if there's yellow or white? 

Compare this red, as I would, if in hand, and yellow to yours. BTW it also looks like yours, based on the other scans of it I have, may have more yellow than this does and this also appears as if the red may be simi- translucent, I can't be sure though vs Akro's is  more opaque)

@Jeff54 This one has yellow. It's definitely not as translucent as the one you pictured. I took a couple more pics, leaving the marble unmoved.

 

[Fire1981]

I’m totally into the banded agate. Second one from the left. If you have these hang on to them. Nice one for sure 🔥

[Jeff54]

On 11/24/2022 at 11:54 PM, Archerfire said:

@Jeff54 This one has yellow. It's definitely not as translucent as the one you pictured. I took a couple more pics, leaving the marble unmoved.

 

What a minute here. It's been so long I forgot and reviewing the email with my friend's scans to see the other photos if opaque or not and angles, I realized  his subject was ' Red Devil'. However, he titled the scans 'akro red devil' Now, I remember as that was in 2006 and around 2005, I pretty much, save for a few here and there, wasn't collecting much anymore. Yet he and I chatted on the phone and email often and his email did not include any information besides the title subject. I just checked the two I have and realized; The Akro's Red is semitranslucent red with nice minty smooth surfaces. And indeed, Double wrong. So, to be sure I checked the net and Christensen agate's Red Devil is also semitranslucent red and opaque yellow where the red appears close to Akro's but CAC's yellow looks brighter, but not Hand-gathered as I had thought. 

Now we see yours is opaque, virtual unknow territory unless it's contemporary. Yet your photos looks as if it's H-G. Is there a nine pattern on any sides? Lets see any hint of a 9 pattern. 

Here's one of the pattern CAC Red Devil is made like, Not H-G and is a familiar striped pattern of theirs with link to auction site and details when sold some time ago (I thinks it's the very same marble that Danny Turner sold several years ago): 

Lot Detail - CHRISTENSEN AGATE RED DEVIL MARBLE. (morphyauctions.com)

 

[Archerfire]

On 11/26/2022 at 5:55 PM, Jeff54 said:

Is there a nine pattern on any sides? Lets see any hint of a 9 pattern. 

Here's one of the pattern CAC Red Devil is made like, Not H-G and is a familiar striped pattern of theirs with link to auction site and details when sold some time ago (I thinks it's the very same marble that Danny Turner sold several years ago): 

Lot Detail - CHRISTENSEN AGATE RED DEVIL MARBLE. (morphyauctions.com)

 

I'm not sure what a 9 pattern is, but there's nothing on mine that looks similar to the pic you posted.

Thanks for all the help!

[wvrons]

I agree your marble is not like the one Danny Turner sold or a CAC Red Devil. I have had 3 or 4 CAC Red Devil's in my hands. Your marble is not CAC.   All the CAC Red Devils I have seen showed definite cut lines. No Red Devil that I know of were hand gathered or showed signs of hand gathered, which is the 9 twist like your marble has.  

[akroorka]

I will admit that in the original image I thought that it may be one of those cool brightly colored Champions.
The UV images that you posted put me right onto the “Modern/Torch-made” train.
Still, a nice group of marbles!
Marble—On!!
 

[Jeff54]

On 12/2/2022 at 12:44 AM, wvrons said:

Quote

I agree your marble is not like the one Danny Turner sold or a CAC Red Devil. I have had 3 or 4 CAC Red Devil's in my hands. Your marble is not CAC.   All the CAC Red Devils I have seen showed definite cut lines. No Red Devil that I know of were hand gathered or showed signs of hand gathered, which is the 9 twist like your marble has.  

 

There is more regarding Red Devil subject: Gary Stern has had one for several years, well before 2004-ish Akro H-G discovery. I haven't seen or heard from @marbdog  since 2005 So, he may have posted this here or at Pete's back then. 

Gary, like so many others, had acquired two colored opaque Hand gathered marbles of another color when, back in the day, nobody knew of the hidden treasures that were yet to be discovered under Akro floors. The fact then, before the Akros showed up, everybody cited such Hand gathered marbles as CAC. Accordingly, word I'd heard; At Akro, there was a drainpipe filled with H-G. 

Anyways, Gary was just as amazed as others that Akro made a lot more than realized too. 

However, he sent this photo, claiming the colors are a match for CAC's Red Devil and especially asking if I'd ever heard of aventurine in yellow by Christinsen Agate. He also understood it may be a freak occurrence. IDK exactly what he saw, but in his photo on the yellow, you can see tiny dark spots which is typical in photos with aventurine.

Regardless, not an Akro dug-up yet, no question it's hand gathered and pretty amazing thing to find. Toss in some aventurine or freaky crystalizing while cooling, it goes the distance beyond.

 

 

[akroorka]

17 minutes ago, Jeff54 said:

not an Akro dug-up yet,

Nice image and great info. I am bedazzeled to be sure.

It sure looks like an Akro made marble to me.

Marble--On!!

[Jeff54]

2 hours ago, akroorka said:

Nice image and great info. I am bedazzeled to be sure.

It sure looks like an Akro made marble to me.

Marble--On!!

Yeah, I get that feeling too albeit, Gary got quite a few of the Akros which included the best he could of their red and yellow so, I expect he would have settled that point. I think, in his other 2005 photo he'd sent me; the top rows is the best Akro Red-yellow H-G that came up at the time. It is very much the same as the others, like mine, same as my Friend's I mentioned before, yet best of any I recall. I think the last row was one that's close, but no devils once he'd received it.. 

The dug-ups are not exactly the same as his, presumed CAC. I mean, we're getting off topic as I'm leading what Akro did because that find has so many different unexpected discoveries,. Since then I found an unusual green slag in my collection that is likely Akro for the color and way it's H-G, and have seen others at ebay, all marbles in the wild, used, played with etc. that illustrates many of the dug-up H-G's were and are there, right front our noses that no less, made and sold before 1928  well before anybody knew it. Gary and I were sharing info at the time. I managed to get about 100, IDK how many he did except, we were not just hording them ,Hording is not for me,, but picking lots to get a different color or unusual examples. One of these days, albeit I have been trying to get it done, I'll get the show going in a topic about them. There's a lot of things Akro was doing that's quite surprising. One, for example is that; there's a lot where finding the clues of being Hand gathered is not as easy as one would think. 

In the meantime, back to the topic; here's Gary's best I've seen 2004-5 dup-up Akro H-G Red and Yellow 'Red Devil' . IDK but, not quite like his presumed CAC so, a head scratcher to be sure. The bottom row is a dug-up with some yellow blending in a defiantly different shade of red so, not the same type for color. 

[akroorka]

24 minutes ago, Jeff54 said:

presumed CAC

That statement says it all--if you go back far enough that is.

How many Alleys were purchased as CAC before the big reveal from the digs?

CAC collectors were a wild, big spending bunch.

They still have some of the best Alleys ever seen though. We will all see them again, before too long.

This is the way!

Marble--On!!

[wvrons]

Things change every year with new and better info. We have to stay up to date or be left behind. Not a easy task. Many things of the past 20 years we have learned were not all accurate. More collectors, more searching, more questions, more accurate info.