“Never laugh at live dragons.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit
Relax & have fun! This Isn’t Rocket Science!
We always had fun collecting marbles. Over the years we have traveled in search of marbles and we have found over 2,700 marbles in 239 different communities. Check our story Far-Flung in Wimauma in this magazine. We have made friends and simply had fun in hot glass studios, potteries, with marble artists, and in ancient trash sites.
We ran marbles with master glass artist Dave McCullough in Pennsboro, West Virginia, and Joanne blew glass at Burnt Glassworks in Jacksonville, Florida. She took another class to learn more about wire-wrapping glass in Garden City Beach, South Carolina. We have sold Joanne’s kiln work at a Wine Festival, a County Fair, businesses to include a Goth shop, and we sold marbles at the National Rolley Hole Marbles Championship and Festival[1] in Hilham, Tennessee; as well as at marble shows in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Sistersville, Paden City, Bridgeport, and Cairo, West Virginia.
Marble collecting is a hands-on sport. Yes, this belief and pursuit has lead us to Urgent Care a time or two but also to some wonderful people and things you may never consider a part of the marble game.
A Whimsical Clay Work of Art
Like this dragon in the lead photo, for example. She is really cute, isn’t she? We bought her in February 2022 at Antiques & More, D’Iberville, Mississippi. She is a Whimsical Dragon made of clay and she is signed “Stokes”.[2] Our dragon holds a dark-colored ⅞” marble which we thought is a Vacor de Mexico carnival glass.
Here is a bit more information about her. As noted, she is signed “Stokes” and she is undated. We learned that she was made by the Stokes family at Holley Hill Pottery in Holley, Florida. The original owners of the Pottery are Brenda, Marty, and Jason Stokes. Brenda made her about fifteen years ago.
The Stokes & Holly Hill Pottery
The Pottery is around four miles north of Navarre, Florida, which is about 25 miles east of Pensacola Beach and on Santa Rosa Island and the Fairpoint Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. The beach, which extends from Navarre to Pensacola Beach and then on to Fort Pickens, is one of the most beautiful in the world. Yes, the sand really is sugar white and fine and the water on the Emerald Coast is a gorgeous green.
The Stokes family established their Pottery in 1980 and it is still owned and operated by the family. The Pottery website reads in part: “Individually signed pottery pieces depict life on the Emerald Coast of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. Each hand made piece is unique and reflects the natural beauty of local sea life, whether it be functional table ware, kitchen ware, or art form decor.”
If you visit the Emerald Coast to soak up the sun then we highly recommend visiting the Pottery. There is a studio showroom and the family are glad to give tours of the pottery’s operation. The arts and crafts scene is alive and well all along the Emerald Coast. And yes, we can think of no better natural habitat for a dragon!
A Dragon with a Bellybutton
Take one more look. She has a large bellybutton! Wait a minute; aren’t dragons hatched from eggs? Larry had a thoroughly enjoyable conversation with Brenda Stokes, who made our dragon, and she confirmed that the dragon does have a bellybutton! And Brenda was totally unapologetic about it.
Brenda told us a few more things about our dragon. She said that the family had fun making these as well as witches and hobbits. The dragons could served as incense burners! We are a bit confused, but Brenda said that the body is a chimney and smoke would rise up and come out the nose or mouth! That would be neat. However, while our dragon could certainly hold incense in the scoop where the tail wraps around as shown in the photograph, ours was no chimney. She also told us that the Chamberlain family made the marbles applied to the dragons. Perhaps our marble was replaced somewhere along the way? We would really love to see a Chamberlain marble!
A Mysterious Farble
In October 2012 we bought this farble, to the left in the photograph, at Bienvenue Vintage Home Destin, Florida. At 55 grams it feels too light to be pewter. It has some characteristics of cold solder, such as a rough and uneven surface. However, we are unsure either what it is made of or how it was made.
It is a representation of a hot air balloon. It has a basket; “ropes”; and a very large “balloon” encasing a clear, blue marble which is very bright in the photograph. The base is ¾” in diameter; the balloon 1⅛” around, and it is 2⅛” tall.
It does have an odd beauty to it. While unsigned and undated, the dealer told us that it was hand crafted by Ron Hunter. Later while continuing to shop in Destin, which has a gorgeous harbor and state park and which is only about 26 miles west of Navarre on the Emerald Coast, we did see different type farbles.
When we tried to learn more about the artist Ron Hunter for this story, we realized that we could find nothing about him online. Worse, we could find nothing about farbles! Do you have one? Have you ever seen one of any type? Do you know anything about Ron Hunter? If so, we would love to hear from you!
A Fortune Teller Woman’s Hand
In June 2017 we shopped at the South Lake Animal League Thrift Store in Clermont, Florida. We enjoy this shop because all profits go to the South Lake Animal League humane shelters and for the care of homeless animals. Clermont is also a fun town to visit. It has a long walking trail on Lake Minneola.
When we bought the 2¾” tall hand we thought that it was a Sorcerer’s Hand. We learned recently that it is a Victorian woman fortune teller’s right hand holding a crystal with an Aurora Borealis effect. Maybe the giveaway is that she has a bracelet and ruffled sleeve. But, after all, we have dragon with a bellybutton!
The Aurora Borealis effect is a special iridescent finish which shines with many different colors when you turn the hand different ways in the light. It is a very neat effect.
Unlike the farble, the pewter hand figurine is clearly marked Ray Lamb ©1984 Perth Pewter and it is numbered # AC32. Although made in 1984, it is in mint condition.
Ray Lamb & Perth Pewter
We found a bit more about pewter artist Ray Lamb than we did on Roy Hunter: “ After graduating from the University of Southern California, studying History, Classics, and Art, Ray completed a successful career as a major league pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cleveland Indians. His dedication and creativity are evident in the success he has achieved in each career.”[3]
Wow! Prices today for Lamb’s pewter are competitive. For examples he has Fafnir (Dragon) for $200.00, and the Dragon Keeper at $125.00. His work is easy to find online.
Perth Pottery is now a division of Medieval Productions. From their website (https://perthpewter.com/): “We’re here to fulfill your needs for history and fantasy. All items from the times of Knights and Dragons, Damsels and Fairies! We carry Pewter figures, jewelry and toys. All our pewter is made in America. They are all handmade by us in the beautiful Catskill Mountains of New York.” They also carry a full line of Bodice Chillers!
Hey, That is not a marble!
Ok, we agree, our crystal ball is not a marble. But remember, we said up front that you should enjoy yourself with your collection! Make yourself happy.
We have something else in our collection which, while not a marble, we treasure and keep with our marble collection. In October 2013 we stopped at the Strasburg Emporium Antiques, Strasburg, Virginia. We found an antique American 1⅛” crystal roulette ball which was made in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s – 1930s . While made in Europe, we know that it was manufactured for the American market since it has 36 numbers plus a 0 and 00. European roulette wheels (French) have 36 numbers and a 0 but no 00.
Other Oddities & Carpet Balls
One last note about collecting oddments that are not marbles. In the late 1990s we found a green ceramic ball which is about 1¼” in diameter. We found the ball on the stone forecourt of an ancient hisn or fort in Kalba, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The old fort is directly on the Gulf of Oman.
It took us seventeen years to identify it! We learned what it is while we were researching an Egyptian marble find for a chapter in our book The Secret Life of Marbles: Their History and Mystery . It is an antique bowl from a French “Jolly Set” of wooden skittles and three balls.[4] While an antique, it isn’t ancient. We have no idea how it got to the fort. However, we have found one thousand year old artifacts as well as trash left weeks or days ago near these forts so it will always remain a mystery.
Finally, we refer to Paul Baumann’s book Collecting Antique Marbles Identification and Price Guide, 4th Ed. Over the years we have almost worn his book completely out using it. His Chapter 14, by himself and Roger Matile, is entitled “Collecting Antique Bowls for Fun and (But Not Necessarily for Profit). This section runs from page 143 – 198!
The Octopus’s Garden[5]
This one is pewter. In October 2012 we bought this figurine at the Copper Penny’s Emporium again in Destin, Florida. We call this one a whimsy. It is 4½” tall; 3” long; and 1⅜” wide.
It is an underwater sea scene with two dolphins and a mermaid. The only color in the pewter is the green on the mermaid. At the base of the figure is the sea floor with coral, a starfish, and sea life. And there is onec at’s eye marble on the bottom of the sea!
When we got home we realized that it is signed on one of the dolphins and both names are used: Greg Neeley. The number on the bottom (50 86) must mean it is number 50 of 86 cast.
Neeley often used this green tint and he made dragons and all sorts of whimsies. We are unsure when this one was made and we cannot find any references to help us date it.
About Greg Neeley
Eleven years can be a lifetime for any artist. This is from Neeley’s website: “I began to make jewelry at 16 years of age. I thought of it as a substitute for my true passion to be an artist and particularly a sculptor. At the age of 33 I had worked in jewelry for 17 years and I realized that I was sculpting rings and other jewelry. I began to study sculpture first in bronze, then other metals and mediums. After nearly 25 years of sculpture I returned to jewelry.” He continues: “All the years of sculpture and jewelry study have come together for me now so that almost anything I can imagine, I can create. This is a rare and precious gift that I wish I could give to everyone.” [6]
That pinch of Pewter
We know that some of you own this little figure because we have seen it on Blogs you have posted.
It is heavy at over 300 grams, or about 10 and a half ounces! And the little boy kneeling and lining up a marble shot is small at only 2″ high and is 3″ long. We found him in April 2022 at Daphne Antique Galleria, Daphne, Alabama.
One Sculpture in Four Parts
This marble shooter is signed and numbered “4”. It is the fourth part of what we consider an unusual idea. Artist Michael Ricker created one single pewter sculpture in four parts: two boys, a dog, and, believe it or not, a fence. One piece is of a boy kneeling waiting for his turn. This piece stands 1 1/2″ tall and is 3 1/2″ long. There is no base under this boy like the one under our shooter.
There is a very large, almost oversized, blood hound lying down. This piece stands 1″ high and is 3″ long. And, finally, there is the fence which stands 3″ tall and is 5″ long. Each piece is independent of the other, but the creator, Michael Ricker, intended to create one sculpture in four parts and he signed each piece on the bottom and numbered each piece one to four. Many collectors probably do not even realize that there four pieces to a complete set.
WorthPoint sold a set of four pieces and this is the only place that we know where you can see a photograph of it.[7] The shooter is the only piece we could find at the Galleria. It is possible that we have seen other pieces of the set and not realized what they were. Regrettably, Ricker died on January 7, 2006 as a result of complications from a ruptured brain aneurysm.[8] We think that members of his family continued his design work, but we have no idea what is happening now with his castings.
Into The Weeds
We all three appreciate you taking this romp in the marble collecting weeds! We hope that you enjoyed reading the story as much as we loved living it!
Just remember this before you walk away from that weird thing in a shop, garage sale, or yard sale which uses marbles or has one somewhere: if you like it, the time to get it is when you see it. It’s your collection, after all, and if you have someone special whom you share it with then all the better! Happy hunting!
Reader Comments:
Thank you very much for your new story. I had a great time. Where do you get your topics from? Dr. Gerhard Greiner-Bär, Lauscha, Germany
- https://www.facebook.com/TheNationalRolleyHoleMarblesChampionships/ 12/30/2022 ↑
- http://www.holleyhillpottery.com/about.html 12/29/2022 ↑
- The Pewter Dragon; https://thepewterdragon.com/artist-ray-lamb-c-68_182/?zenid=pike9hfb07vtbu5qa0bchmnk04 1/1/2023 ↑
- You can see a picture of a Jolly Set at http://www.labelleetoffe.co.uk/B603 1/6/2023 ↑
- Remember the song Octopus’s Garden which was written and sung by Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr Beatles drummer)? You can check the lyrics at: https://www.google.com/search?q=octopus+garden+lyrics& (1/16/2023)↑
- https://www.gregneeleydesign.com/about-greg-neeley 1/27/2023 ↑
- https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/michael-ricker-set-4-boys-playing-marbles-pewter 1/27/2023 ↑
- Check his obituary at: http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Michael-A.-Ricker-66517755 1/27/2023 ↑
