New To The Marble Connection

[SZaugg]

Good afternoon!  I'm new to the Marvel connection and I'm looking for more information on something I found when I was out picking an old farm in South Dakota.  Seems like there was a mail in for Akron Marbles back in the day.  I don't believe the marbles are the original ones though.

[Steph]

Oh gosh. Very nice.  Handle with care! 

No matter what, I would not change out those marbles.  It is possible they are original.  If not, still no harm in leaving them.  Maybe some kid kept his favorite marbles in that box, which would be cool in its own way. But those could very well be early Akros.  

Much historical information has been lost or blurred by people removing contents that they mistakenly believed did not belong in a box, and sometimes even go so far as to backfill the boxes with what they thought was more accurate contents.  

[Alan]

Its likely that the marbles are original to the box.

[Tommy]

Wow what a find...

[Chad G.]

"Welcome to Marble Connection"

                                    Very nice, those look like Akros to me, the original mibs, don't toss em     "Nice Find"

[Jeff54]

17 hours ago, SZaugg said:

Good afternoon!  I'm new to the Marvel connection and I'm looking for more information on something I found when I was out picking an old farm in South Dakota.  Seems like there was a mail in for Akron Marbles back in the day.  I don't believe the marbles are the original ones though.

This is a great set of marbles and packaging. It's been quite some time, over 20 years, but I think I have seen this box before.

I can not be absolutely certain but in your photo, bottom left, light blue marble and dark green above it, appear to be Akro and referred to as 'Flinty' by collectors. You can notice that each has a little spot like an eye. Not easy to date this, but that little eye-like mark means they are not hand-gathered. However, almost all of the colors are early so, it's going to date in the late 1920's to early 1930's (Whenever machinery in the glass industry could make marbles without hand-gathered assistance).

Otherwise, if they are earlier then those eye-like spots should be the centers of a 9 pattern which is the mark of being hand-gathered. 

    Just on a guess, especially for the whole set of these early colors, which are, moreover a revelation as, very little is known as to what Akro chose or was created in solid colors like this, I do not like to estimate worth but this is different because one should realize; due to the rarity, ya don't want to let it slip by. It could be valued, as is, in the $500+ range.  For the history of machine-made marbles, Akro Agate's first colors were stolen from the M. F. Christensen and Son company by their accountant {Edit: Bookkeeper} Horrace Hill, who had brought them and other items of theft and embezzlements to Akro Agate which was the foundation of the Akro company. .

    Albeit, if the marbles are hand-gathered then the value could be two to three times that. 

Here's the marble collector who'd probably know the most about it, as it's Craker Jack Gold too: Cracker Jack Prize Collector Jim Davis - Country Roads Magazine

[I'llhavethat1]

Cool, thanks for sharing...haven't seen this before

[Ric]

Congratulations! I agree this is a very nice find and that the marbles are likely original to the box. Although, I do have a couple of questions.

What are the dimensions of the box?

I'm thinking it was originally mailed in some external packaging but Is there printing anywhere else on the box or the lid?

The only thing I can imagine that would make this find even better is if one those marbles had "Cracker Jack" printed on it.

🙂

 

[Steph]

My go-to marble packaging guy has confirmed that those would be the original marbles.  I am pretty sure I have seen a photo of the box before.  I looked through some marble books and did a search here at Marble Connection.  Didn't find the box (yet).  However, I did find copies of some of the advertising for it that I had posted way back in 2009.  Not sure were I got the photos from,  probably a Cracker Jack site, and I don't have the exact age of those.  However, the scans are dated 1929.  The scans look like George Sourlis' work.  

I bet I have some of the actual ads among my own magazine collection.  George gifted me many magazines from that time period containing early Akro advertisement.   But for now here are the pictures I found. 


 







 

[Steph]

A related historical tidbit is that Cracker Jack also had individually wrapped Akros as prizes inside the Cracker Jack box.   Larry White's book Cracker Jack Toys gave 1928 as the date for the prize.  White said that  the marble was a red and blue swirl but  I can't think of which Akro production item that would have been in the 1920s.   The wrapper is the most valuable part to Cracker Jack collectors since the marble itself would be hard be sure was original.  

This is a picture I just snapped with my phone from  Ravi Piña's book Cracker Jack Collectibles.  The marble looks more red and white to me, which would be easier to place as a 1920s Akro.     

[Edit: The marble in my photo isn't looking red and white to me.   Maybe blue and white? My phone camera does often turn things blue, but looking back at the original page in the book I'm not sure what color I'm seeing there either.  Might be blue.   Now I'm wondering if someone meant that the marble would be red or it would be blue.  Not that it would be both.  That would make much more sense as far as 1920's Akro production goes.]







 

[Joe2]

2 hours ago, I'llhavethat1 said:

Cool, thanks for sharing...haven't seen this before

X1

[Joe2]

Will these fluores under black light I have some blue ones that really fluorescent under black light same color blue

[akroorka]

18 hours ago, SZaugg said:

Good afternoon! 

Good afternoon to you as well and welcome.

Thanks for sharing your find.

It is a rare and very cool thing to have if you are a marble collector or a Cracker Jack collector.

Like I said--very cool.

Marble--On!!

[SZaugg]

I took better pictures...I sincerely appreciate all the info!!!!!