Morphy Auctions Nov. 6 Marble Auction Catalog Online
Morphy Auction of Pennsylvania recently concluded a large auction of more than 300 marble lots. The auction featured many rare marbles and marble-related items like this Akro Agate #1 Assorted Corkscrew Set show here, which was the priciest item sold at US$7,475.00.
They have posted their catalog online and I must say the photos are fantastic. There are many top-shelf rare marbles among the 300 lots and this is a great opportunity to see them up-close thanks to excellent photography.
Among the rarer marbles were several colored sulphide marbles, complete box sets, and a very rare Navarre Horizontal Swirl.
I'd have to say my favorite individual marble from this auction was the blue and oxblood ground pontil transitional marble.
No Comments »Marbles on Television
Marbles don't get much TV airtime these days, but just this week The Colbert Show interviewed Beri Fox, the President of Marble King. She spoke about keeping manufacturing jobs in America.
Beri Fox was named after none other than Beri Pink, the founder of Marble King. Her brief interview was a significant piece of marble history. She said small businesses like hers cannot compete with the cheap labor of foreign manufacturers. It would not be the first time an American marble manufacturer said as much.
If you saw my Buy American Marbles post last year, I wrote how in 1913 another American marble manufacturer, M.F. Christensen Son & Co., appealed to congress to raise the tariff on German import marbles. His growing company simply could not compete with the cheap, low-skilled foreign labor. And so he, like Beri, appealed to our government to level the playing field.
It's not difficult to guess the outcome of such appeals, but on a brighter note we can take comfort in knowing there are still enough classic American marbles left in circulation to make for great marble shows. Here is a fun WAND-TV spot on the recent Decatur marble show in Illinois to remind us how great this hobby is.
No Comments »Group Shots of High-end Marbles
Some marble collectors have been posting amazing group shots of their collections over at The Marble Connection forum.
Thus far most of the pictures show marbles that appear to be machine made, of the high-end, extremely rare and beautiful variety.
I see several marbles in there that could easily fetch $500 or more each, but I doubt anyone is selling those. They look like keepers to me.
I am always grateful when fellow collectors share their best finds with photos like this.
And in this case, quite a bit envious.
No Comments »Huge Green Mist Lutz Marble
This antique green mist lutz marble from the late 1800's is a site to behold. Not only is it an extremely rare style, but also it measures an astounding 2-1/8" in diameter and looks to be in superb condition.
It turns out this marble also has a great story attached to it. In fact, the marble and its story are any marble collector's dream.
One day a European marble collector met a lady at an antique fair selling marbles at her stand. This veteran collector, who already had an impressive collection, eagerly bought up all of her marbles.
The lady remarked that she had a very special marble she kept at home that once belonged to her grandfather. She was not willing to sell it, though she did describe it.
Upon hearing the marble's description the collector nearly fainted. He knew it was special and he simply had to see it. Somehow he persuaded her to let him see it, and a few days later he visited her.
She kept the marble wrapped in a piece of silk cloth and tucked safely in a drawer. When she handed him the marble he could not believe his eyes. It was huge and absolutely packed with lutz, by far better than any other marble in his collection.
As he admired the marble, the lady suddenly said, "You can have it. It's yours!"
She told him he looked like he was falling in love as held the marble. She knew that he would cherish it forever. Her precious marble would be in good hands, rather than just hiding in a drawer.
Now thanks to this video made by that collector we can share in that story and have a glimpse of what this cherished marble looks like "in hand":
You can see more videos of this collector's impressive collection over at antiquemarble's YouTube channel.
No Comments »Largest Christensen Agate Guinea
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.
