The posts are slow-coming..

[Marbleguy]

..but people are still digging up antique marbles. I went out to Boroslavy Canyon just outside the Mojave Desert ghost town of Trona,Ca this morning and dug up a pristine Akro Agate oxblood marble. It's summer in the desert which means I dig till I find one marble then jump in my 4 wheel drive truck and turn on the air conditioner. I dress to the hilt for the desert. Wear loose-fitting cotton clothing,hat and gloves. Spit on the ground and it bursts into steam. My only friend at the site where I dig is a giant chuckwalla lizard. I first saw him last spring when he was teensy. He's grown up since then. About three feet long. Every day during the summer when I dig up a marble I'm courting death from heatstroke. But I know there are thousands more marbles buried out there. It's like opening a new Christmas present every day. So who could stop? Just me and the chuckwalla in a ravine at the bottom of a canyon surrounded by ancient volcanic lava flows in 118F to 130F desert heat. Treasure has different meanings according to situation.

 

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[Road Dog]

I collect Trasitional and Slags. Before that I collected Akro. Had a bunch and sold a bunch. Still have alot. Here are some Ox I use to have. The first pic are all 3/4" and + marbles.

 

[Marbleguy]

Those are stunning..

That reminds me of a problem I encountered after my first antique marble finds. I purchased three marble-collecting books. These turned out to be almost useless. There's a big difference between highly collectible marbles and what the average person will find thru excavating old dumps,etc. The collectible marbles might've been made during one shift at the factory. They get top billing among collectors. But marbles that were made in the millions hardly if ever get mention. Which leaves the majority of persons interested in old marbles left out in the cold. This irritates me so much I may put out my own marble book. It's not just marbles which suffer this fate. It's the same thruout the collectibles market. A concentration on monetary value versus what you're really going to come across.

 

[Road Dog]

I know what you are saying with the books. There are a few good ones out , but alot of them cover types you may not run across not the more common types.

 

[Road Dog]

Here are some Ox Akro Slags. The Teals are Dug ones. As far as I know the teals were not a production item.

 

[Road Dog]

We use to play with steel bearings too. Here is a huge chunk of Akro Oxblood dug from the Akro Factory Site.

 

[MEinWV]

Sweet hunk of slag there, RD! I'll have to post a few more of my MK hunks shortly.

Thanks for showing us!

 

[gleaner1]

Marbleguy and Road Dog have intimidating goods. These are what I have gleaned thru the years. I don't know jack-diddly-doo about marbs except, as always, condition is key. Best regards, gleaner1.

 

[Road Dog]

Peltiers,MK's, a Slag or two, saw a Blue Mica, an Akro Oxblood Patch or two, Akro Sparkler. Neat Batch!

 

[Road Dog]

Here are 2 Akro Experimentals. About 1" dia. Dug at the Factory Site.

 

[gleaner1]

Road Dog, your items, whether marbles or bottles, never cease to amaze. Let me ask, do any of the marbles in my pics catch your eye, are any outstanding or unusual? I don't have a clue. Best regards, gleaner1.

 

[Road Dog]

Thanks, The marbles in the pics with red I scribbled on them. Have more pics of them. First pic is an Akro Sparkler.

 

[wheelerite]

Marbleguy and Road Dog have intimidating goods. These are what I have gleaned thru the years. I don't know jack-diddly-doo about marbs except, as always, condition is key. Best regards, gleaner1.

the fifth pic. the red marble at 9 o'clock looks like a mica, if it is that is a very good marble.
ksmith

 

[gleaner1]

wheelerite, I think the marble you refer to is orange, with lots of bubbles. If mica means shiny mica pieces inside, this is not one of them. The red one has little cracks in it. Thanks to you guys, I am starting to get an "eye" for marbles.

 

[DigginThePast]

Cool marbles guys. Thanks for sharing.

 

[allen]

you guys have some beautifully colored marbles !!