Ric Posted May 26 Report Share Posted May 26 Here is a Master Marble Co. Box (No. 500?) that I recently acquired. I think this particular box is VHTF, maybe even rare - my best wild find in a very long time. It's 6 5/8" x 7 1/4" and contains 52 Meteor marbles: 6 No. 5, 6 No. 2 and 40 players (No. 0) . It also includes a hand-painted buckskin bag. A local woman found it in a trunk with other toys from her recently deceased Grandfather's childhood. I purchased it and about 1/2 gallon of loose marbles from her. Of course, she had no idea what she had and was planning to donate the lot to a local church for a rummage sale. Let's just say I made her (and the church) very happy. 🙂 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire1981 Posted May 26 Report Share Posted May 26 WOW ! That’ll a very righteous act Ric It always feels good to do something like that🔥 RAR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Posted May 26 Report Share Posted May 26 Wow ......what a score...those mibs went to a good home .some things are meant to be ...BTW nice to see you back 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akroorka Posted May 26 Report Share Posted May 26 Very nice Ric--rare works for me. (that pouch is killer) Marble--On!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Oregon Posted May 27 Report Share Posted May 27 Nice find - have not seen that one before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted May 27 Report Share Posted May 27 Baller box! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted May 27 Author Report Share Posted May 27 On 5/26/2024 at 1:48 PM, akroorka said: --rare works for me. 54 minutes ago, Al Oregon said: - have not seen that one before. Thanks Guys! Given your comments, I am thinking it probably is rare. @Fire1981 @Tommy @Alan Thank you! Maybe my luck is changing. 🤞 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted May 28 Author Report Share Posted May 28 Just some examples of players from the box . . . They're pretty simple marbles but the colors are very nice. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akroorka Posted May 28 Report Share Posted May 28 18 hours ago, Ric said: They're pretty simple But---pretty old--nice ones Ric! Marble--On!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted May 28 Author Report Share Posted May 28 3 minutes ago, akroorka said: But---pretty old--nice ones Ric! Marble--On!! You can tell they're not Master Glass production, that's for sure. George S. believes the box is from the mid 1930s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akroorka Posted May 28 Report Share Posted May 28 15 minutes ago, Ric said: George S. believes the box is from the mid 1930s. I agree of course--they are very nice Master Made Marbles. Marble--On!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoast_dave Posted May 29 Report Share Posted May 29 great piece, thanks for sharing Rick. are u coming out to Des Moines? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted May 29 Author Report Share Posted May 29 6 hours ago, westcoast_dave said: great piece, thanks for sharing Rick. are u coming out to Des Moines? Thanks, Dave. I am sorry to say I will not be able to attend the Des Moines show this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave 13 Posted May 30 Report Share Posted May 30 Good Score on that box ,thx for showing the closer pic of the mibs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YasudaCollector Posted May 31 Report Share Posted May 31 Amazing find! 😎 The overall color scheme almost reminds me of Akro products. Was Master trying emulate Akro at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akroorka Posted May 31 Report Share Posted May 31 15 hours ago, YasudaCollector said: Was Master trying emulate Akro at all? They were very competitive, these two companies. There are many stories of some very dark stuff that may have occurred between the two. Ultimately Master Marble Company won out and purchased Akro. The Japanese influx of marbles eventually shut them both down. Master Glass Company (the newer name for Master) used Akro boxes and marbles in the final sales era. They never did too well aesthetically with their cats-eye rendition but they tried and of course they worked. I love a good Master Glass Cat—most are pretty crappy looking but some are just killer. Hope this helps, Marble—On!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted June 1 Author Report Share Posted June 1 22 hours ago, YasudaCollector said: Amazing find! 😎 The overall color scheme almost reminds me of Akro products. Was Master trying emulate Akro at all? I don't know if "emulate" is the right word. Master Marble was started by ex-Akro Agate employees who were determined to compete with Akro. So I imagine Master was trying to produce marbles that were more appealing or less expensive than the Akros that were already widely available. Nevertheless, both companies produced moss agate type marbles, some of which are nearly identical. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted June 7 Author Report Share Posted June 7 I just thought I would add an interesting tidbit based on an advertisement that George S. sent me . . . In 1935, Meteors were Master Marble's most expensive at $1.50/hundred. I was surprised that Cloudies, Clearies and Sunbursts all sold for $1.00/hundred. All the prices listed were for No. 1 sized (11/16") marbles sold by the Seattle Hardware Co. - go figure. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YasudaCollector Posted June 7 Report Share Posted June 7 Man! I'd better start looking for them around the Seattle area then. 🧐 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted June 7 Author Report Share Posted June 7 45 minutes ago, YasudaCollector said: Man! I'd better start looking for them around the Seattle area then. 🧐 You'd probably have even better luck looking around Clarksburg, WV. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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