shiroaiko Posted April 22 Author Report Share Posted April 22 @Ric Thank you so much for your comment...late or not doesn't matter! šI appreciate that you took the time to look so closely at the photos. Itās rewarding to know someone enjoyed them. The marble you mentioned is one that belonged to the Fairylite box. I'm sure to pass your words to Roberto soon. He is such a generous man, he always shares his marble photos with me.Ā About the development of Catās Eyes...back in those days, the competition among makers was intense. Creative inventions came out of rivalry, and they grew together through the competition.Ā Then, there was a marble makersā association, and the head was Isogami. He kind of represented the newcomers in the industry, while Seike was more of a pioneer and a loner. You might think Seike would naturally have taken the lead, but that wasnāt the case. The first association was actually formed by newer makers who wanted to buy color glass and other materials in bulk and split the cost. Seike, on the other hand, was independent. He ran his own factory and made everything himself, so he didnāt really need to rely on anybody. I believe Seike eventually joined the association because the government wanted to unify the industry. When that happened, the organization became naturally divided into two groups. Later, when wartime industry reform was first planned, the marble industry was supposed to be reduced to two factoriesāone run by Seike and his allies, and the other by Isogami and his group. But as Japanās war situation and financial situation worsened, only one factory was allowed to survive. In the end, it was Seikeās side that remained, while Isogami and the others had to leave. All of the marble-making equipment and patents were passed to Seikeās group and used for marble production during the war. Ā 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted April 24 Report Share Posted April 24 @shiroaikoĀ The history is very interesting to me. It's helps put into perspective the beginnings of cat's eye marbles here. As for Seike's marbles, in general, they are intriguing and many are very pretty too. I have collected random swirls, like those produced by various companies in West Virginia (usually referred to as WV Swirls) for a long time. It seems that Seike's swirl marbles span quite a range - from marbles that resemble Alley to others that look more similar to Ravenswood or another WV Swirl maker. Your photos are a beautiful resource. I enjoy looking at marbles, especially those that are new to me. It is fun to compare them with marbles made by American companies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiroaiko Posted April 24 Author Report Share Posted April 24 @RicĀ I agree with you. Seikeās marbles really do show a wide variety. They are a reflection of both his passion and the times he lived through. He made marbles over a long period, facing many changesālike the depression in the early Showa era, the war, material shortages, and trade restrictions. He had his ups and downs, and all of that reflected in his marbles. Some of his marbles are beautiful, but after the war, there are also pieces that don't look as good, due to the high content of recycled cullet. Iām not sure whether those were exported or not. It seems that his company ceased operations around 1959. One main reason (except for his age)Ā was a sudden surge in marble production. A newcomer to the industry, who initially knew almost nothing about marble making, struggled with his new equipment. He asked an engineer named Yasuaki Hosoi to help improve the system. Hosoi turned out to be the right man. The improved system was a great success, and other factories quickly followed. Production grew nearly tenfold in a short time. Overproduction led to a price collapse, and only a few survived. The impact was worldwide; marble makers in Europe and America also shut down. (I will post a translation of Hosoi's memoir in the near future.) Iāve mainly collected marbles from Japan, the UK, and Germany, so Iām sure I can learn a lot from you about WV swirls. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire1981 Posted April 25 Report Share Posted April 25 These have to be included in this thread. Any ideas if they do? First bag are 3/4š„ RAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire1981 Posted April 25 Report Share Posted April 25 5/8 š„ RAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiroaiko Posted April 25 Author Report Share Posted April 25 @Fire1981Ā Many thanks for posting your marbles. From the newer look, I feel Hopf for these, but I am sorry if my way of seeing them is wrong. I planned to talk about Hopf marbles in near future, but if you can't wait, I can explain it here.Ā šĀ Do you want me to do it right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akroorka Posted April 25 Report Share Posted April 25 10 hours ago, shiroaiko said: Do you want me to do it right now? Start a new thread if that is what you intended on doing shiroaiko. Just leave a link here for Fire---and the rest of us as wellš. Marble--On!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire1981 Posted April 26 Report Share Posted April 26 Never heard of Hopf marbles before. Iām with Art. Start a new thread on Hopfs with example pics. If these are Hopf it would be great to find out what mine are. All I know right now is they arenāt WVS š„ RAR 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire1981 Posted April 26 Report Share Posted April 26 Pokie Rocks/AGB š„ RAR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiroaiko Posted April 26 Author Report Share Posted April 26 @Fire1981Ā Hopf's wirepulls and more... Looking for Information! Ā is the new thread. Please take a look when you can. šĀ šĀ ...I can't change the font size! Ā 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiroaiko Posted April 26 Author Report Share Posted April 26 Here is the link. Ā Ā https://marbleconnection.com/topic/39712-hopfs-wirepulls-and-more-looking-for-information/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LevvyPoole Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 On 3/26/2025 at 11:30 PM, shiroaiko said: White ribbons. I've had these set aside from a nice collection I got a few months ago, not quite sure if they all belong together but my intuition on the 2 smaller ones has been telling me Japanese origin... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LevvyPoole Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 In fact, these came in the collection too, which definitely point towards Japanese to me after looking at your pictures. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LevvyPoole Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 And I've just realised that this one is probably part of the family too, not a wonky peltier, as thought (and agreed on here, oops), clearly showing that context can be very important. @I'llhavethat1Ā got it right I think, despite being the lone voice on that ID.Ā 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LevvyPoole Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 On 4/12/2025 at 2:37 PM, shiroaiko said: @davesnothere, I think a lot of people end up mixing lots, especially after sorting out certain types of marbles. I also get the urge to classify everything and put one type in each box, which would make my shelf more organized. I love English wisplers and I couldn't resist doing it for them. Once I remove marbles from lots, I forget everything. So I regret and don't do this for other marbles. Early marbles are nice.Ā šĀ I also like them very much. Ā I'm glad you said this, I keep almost mixing my best lot into the other groups, but something keeps holding me back, I will make sure it remains together.Ā 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiroaiko Posted July 6 Author Report Share Posted July 6 @LevvyPoole, in that very first year I started to collect marbles, I came across a lot containing many marbles which were thought to be made after the war when severe material shortages struck the country. Although I didn't know anything about them, butĀ I sensed the importance of the marbles being kept together as a group. Every time I acquired a new lot, I always asked the seller about its background and took notes. Often the seller didnāt have useful information, but asking about the history was all I could do for many years. If I were to mix the lots, all my notes would become meaningless. That is partly why I don't mix my marbles.Ā 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akroorka Posted July 7 Report Share Posted July 7 On 7/6/2025 at 10:16 AM, shiroaiko said: If I were to mix the lots, all my notes would become meaningless. You have been on it for quite some time and I respect that my marble collecting friend. Keep on keepin on--I just love this stuff. Marble--On!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LevvyPoole Posted July 8 Report Share Posted July 8 @shiroaiko, that is very good advice. Most of my lots have come from Ebay sellers, and I suppose it never occurred to me to ask history as I didn't want to 'bother' anyone unnecessarily, especially those trying to make a living. Some people may even appreciate the interest. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiroaiko Posted July 9 Author Report Share Posted July 9 @akroorkaĀ Hearing kind words from someone with your experience really made me happy. Thank youāIāll keep going, little by little. @LevvyPooleĀ I understand how you feel. Sometimes people may find such questions bothersome, and in Japan lately, many transactions have become anonymous, which makes it harder to ask about background. But in my experience, many sellers on eBay are willing to answer questions. I still try anyway. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted July 9 Report Share Posted July 9 On 7/6/2025 at 11:16 AM, shiroaiko said: Although I didn't know anything about them, butĀ I sensed the importance of the marbles being kept together as a group.Ā I operated the same way for many years. If I could not identify the marbles I kept them together as found. But once I was confident about their identity they got mixed together with others of like kind. On occasion, I had to make small adjustments as new information became available. But the system worked well for me. Today, I have far fewer unidentified marbles than I used to and the vast majority of them are not American made. And I only hang on to those if I find them particularly interesting. But I am in the waning days of marble collecting and I plan to part with the vast majority of my collection over the next few years. My interests and preferences in marbles have evolved considerably and I am moving in a new direction. š 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiroaiko Posted July 11 Author Report Share Posted July 11 @RicĀ If you ever decide to part with any of your boxed wirepulls in the future, Iād appreciate the opportunity to purchase them.Ā 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted July 11 Report Share Posted July 11 11 hours ago, shiroaiko said: @RicĀ If you ever decide to part with any of your boxed wirepulls in the future, Iād appreciate the opportunity to purchase them.Ā I understand and appreciate your interest, Aiko. š 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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