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.
Melting New Life into Old Marbles
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.
2 Comments »Large Akro Agate Corkscrews
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.
