Largest Christensen Agate Guinea

August 5th, 2010,

This Christensen Agate "guinea" marble, the largest example known to exist, sold recently for US $2,627.99.

At one inch in diameter, this marble came from a group of three that were almost certainly prototypes of the Christensen Agate guinea marble style that today is one of the most collectible.

I think its new owner should take this spectacular treasure on tour to all the marble shows and charge collectors just $10 to hold it for one minute (in a padded room of course, with everyone wearing gloves).

I'd be first in line.

Picture courtesy of Alan's Marble Connection store.

Melting New Life into Old Marbles

July 24th, 2010,

Many old marbles are so damaged that only a hint of their original beauty remains. Sadly this is common, especially with the larger and very collectible old German handmade marbles.

But thanks to glass artists like Rich Shelby, these beat-up antique marbles are getting a second chance to look young again.

Rich was no stranger to working with glass when he stumbled upon marble repairing. He had been lampworking glass beads for 10 years when, about three and a half years ago. he decided to try his hand at making marbles. His years of experience prepared him for his unexpected journey into repairing vintage marbles. As Rich tells the story:

"I was in charge of the 4th annual Orange County Marble Show in March of 2010.  Knowing that there would be contemporary marble makers there like myself along with vintage marble collectors, I needed to do a quick study of the vintage marble collecting hobby. It is because of this that I had the opportunity to meet and work with my friend, Mr. Bob Jackson.

Bob had a few old collectible marbles that were chipped, dinged, and/or foggy on the surface and generally very worn. He asked me if I could “fix” them. That is when it all started - my quest to repair his battered old marbles."

Rich soon found himself quite busy on this exciting new quest. In the six months since, he has repaired about 400 marbles and re-melted another 300. The distinction between a repair and a remelt is quite important, as Rich relates:

"A repair makes the marble as close to the original design as possible. It corrects and fills in the dents, pot marks and chips to a smooth surface without messing up the design. A re-melt is when you combine 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 marbles into one big new marble and change the design. Some changes can be slight but others – you can’t recognize any of the original marbles one bit."

Every repair job presents new challenges and requires both science and art. If you ask Rich about the science, he will happily tell you about the Coefficient of Expansion (COE, or how to determine the ways different colors of glass will react) and even how by aligning the molecules of the different colors of glass he can prevent them all from breaking.

In order to have a chance for a good repair, Rich says he needs as much “wiggle room” as possible on the surface of the marble. This means if the colored swirls are on or too near the damaged area, he may recommend polishing the marble instead of attempting a repair that could harm the original design's integrity. In all cases he always says, “If the person has any emotional feelings about the marble, I never suggest any repair.”

Certain old German handmade marbles like sulphides and some old swirls can repair to almost like-new condition. On the other hand, the colors in opaque machine made marbles behave unpredictably under the torch and may bleed or change color. But sometimes they too can be repaired remarkably well.

When repairs are impossible or the customer wants something entirely new,  remelting is a second option for bringing new life to damaged marbles.  The results can be delightful. In a remelt, Rich takes two or more marbles back into their molten state and combines them. As the different glasses and colors mix together, they form new patterns and are literally reborn as shiny new but old marbles.

Despite years of practicing the art and science of working glass, Rich has learned time and again one important lesson, which he uses as something of a motto-disclaimer: “Glass will do what IT wants to do!”

If you have more questions or have marbles you may want repaired, you can contact Rich Shelby by e-mail at richshelby@ca.rr.com. Rich will also be  organizing and attending the 2011 Orange County Marble Show in March.

Large Akro Agate Corkscrews

June 17th, 2010,

These three large Akro Agate "Prize Name" corkscrew marbles were dug up in mint condition from an an old city dump. Probably tossed out in the early 1930s not long after they were made, they waited six or seven decades to be discovered and cherished again by a later generation.

The two on the left measure about 1", which was the largest size corkscrew marble that Akro Agate made. They are shown here above a standard 5/8" playing marble, also an Akro corkscrew.

Vintage marbles of this size are rare for obvious reasons: Fewer were made, they cost more, and they were just too big to fit into the regular marble games. Finding them in mint condition is even harder for reasons I can remember from my own childhood.

We called any marble larger than a 3/4" shooter a "boulder" and found them too large to play regular marbles with. If we did play marbles with them it was "tag" or "bombs" where we hurled them at a another marble of similar size. Inevitably their bulk caused them to chip and break more easily, not to mention the fact that it was great fun to hurl them down the street to chase after them.

I have a hard time believing these were thrown away on purpose in such new condition; I envision some tears were shed at their loss so long ago. But I'm grateful they were preserved in all of their original glory.

And I aim to make sure they never get thrown out again.

Mint Peltier Golden Rebel Marble

May 22nd, 2010,

In the 1920s - 1930s the Peltier Glass Co. made their "National Line Rainbo" marbles, which happen to be one of my favorite machine made marble styles. Richly colored and interesting, these marbles were made in a series of easily identifiable styles for which collectors have since given nicknames.

One style they produced in very limited numbers is nicknamed the "Golden Rebel." These marbles are easily identified by their yellow base glass and red and black ribbons, with the black ribbons usually flecked with shimmering aventurine.

When a Golden Rebel marble shows up both in mint condition and the rare 3/4" shooter size, eyes bulge and wallets empty.

Here is your chance to own one. Bidding has already reached US$760 and there are three days remaining. Final bid was US$960 dollars!

Rare Box of Christensen Agate Guinea Marbles

April 18th, 2010,

For machine-made marbles in their original packaging, this set is the Holy Grail for most marble collectors. It is an original 25-ct. box of Christensen Agate World's Best Guineas.

The rare and beautiful "Guinea" marbles, even individually, can fetch hundreds of dollars each. To find an entire set in mint condition in their original box is, simply put, extremely rare. To then find them for sale is unheard of.

I have only seen these boxes in marble collecting books. In fact this box is the very same one shown in the first three editions of Everett Grist's Big Book of Marbles.

And now it can be yours after you muster the estimated $8,000 - $12,000 it will cost to bid it into your collection.

Source: Morphy Auctions