Marvelous Mibs Marbles Collectors Zone

Doogle · Joined: 25 Aug 2009 Posts: 200 Location: Bishop, California

This little 9/16" oxblood has a light blue opaque base. It lights up under UV with intense white. I have not seen an oxblood with this type of base glass. Is this just an odd variant? Is it Akro?

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David Chamberlain · Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 214

Oxblood.....really? Doesn't hit me as oxblood. Maybe it's the pic. And the character of the 'oxblood' and its movement isn't what I would normally associate with Akro. Got me! David

Doogle · Joined: 25 Aug 2009 Posts: 200 Location: Bishop, California

It is without doubt oxblood. Now, when I said the marble was opaque light blue, I probably described it wrong because I don't know how else to do that. When the marble is backlit, the light blue is VERY obvious, so maybe the base glass is transparent blue instead? Either way, it is a light blue marble with oxblood. Both of these qualities are obvious to me with the marble in hand. I will gather up all my oxblood swirls and take a picture for comparison. I will also take a back-lit photo of this marble.
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David Chamberlain · Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 214

In three of the marble photos I detect some light blue swirling action and maybe that's what's making it appear to be an overall light blue when you back light it. This is often the case with marbles. To me it looks like some off white opaque. David

Doogle · Joined: 25 Aug 2009 Posts: 200 Location: Bishop, California

I took a group shoot of all the oxbloods that I have, which ain't many at this time! The small light blue based one, at least to me, is obvious sitting to the left of a plain brite white marble. You can also see the contrast of that green base one also.

I underlit and took a couple pictures that shows the blue that is more intense than I can get in the photo with my Canon Powershot. When I underlight a normal opaque white swirl with the clear swirls, I don't see this blue, so there has to be some blue pigment somewhere in the interior of this marble, or the opaque white is in fact a very light blue. Or the clear swirling is a blue color. I don't know how to call this one. All I know is I can pick it out easily from it's blue cast from any bunch of marbles I toss it in with, including all white opaques with similar clear swirling.

It probably doesn't amount to a hoot about this weird base color anyway--I just thought it was unique in it's appearance.

But that light jade green one--I really like it! Any ideas anybody?

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chucks_mibs · Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 6:44 pm Post subject:

Very nice set of marbles doogle....this is MY OPINION
1.The green marble to me appears to be a Champion horsehair ox
2 The light blue based one with the questionable oxblood, need better photos to tell (first set of pics look green). For example, what color is the felt pad background you are using (green white or yellow)?
3.From the pics given, the obscure clear pattern and the apparent oxblood on the marble in question doesnt resemble any Akro Oxblood I've seen either (doesnt mean that its not an Akro).
4.Try adjusting your white balance prior to shooting to yield a more realistic color portrayal
5.Another option is to send the mib to marblealan for further review
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-Chuck Jr.

Doogle · Joined: 25 Aug 2009 Posts: 200 Location: Bishop, California

Okay, I have done all I can to photograph this marble. I adjusted the white balance in the manual mode with a sheet of white paper, and then took the photos on the same sheet. These colors are dead on. The light green marble absolutely has oxblood. No doubt. Some of it looks greenish, but that is due to the oxblood being overheated. Most of it is true oxblood color.

The light blue based marble with real oxblood shows up almost true to form. I can't get better photos unless I hire a pro, and then they would probably still have the same color. So this is as good as it gets. If the blue base is just not believable, well, I can't afford to send it off to someone to verify what I already know. It just could well be that this bluish one and the green one are just unusual oxblood types. Maybe unique. But I bet not. Someone else out there has ones just like these.

Take a look at the photos and then let me know what you all think. Is it likely Akro oxblood? Or is it some of the other marble companies attempt to copy oxblood? If this is so, then they came pretty damn close, at least to my novice eyes.

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David Chamberlain · Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 214

Well, no matter what way you look at it it's a sweet little representative group of oxbloods whatever marble company they represent! David

lstmmrbls · Site Admin Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 696

If it is real Oxblood it Looks like an odd Akro Milky Ox to me. Ox is very hard to photograph and have it appear naturally. They threw out thousands of milky Oxbloods many of which had odd problems. And many that were perfect. I just ran across some Allies that looked similar though only Ox like swirls.

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Peace,Galen

browse4antiques · Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 552

I have seen some Alley swirls that have a very dark shade of red which resembles oxblood quite closely. I even think I recognize something in the pattern of your marble that reminds me of them. Oxblood would tend to be floating on the surface, with darker striations, whereas a swirl with very dark red will sometimes appear to have dark striations, but the darker lines are caused by places where the red extends deeper into the marble and can appear almost black. With a bright light you should be able to tell if the red is flat on the surface or if it extends down into the base. (the very deep red Alley is likely more rare than the milky oxblood anyway). ... Roger