Vintage M. F. Christensen & Son Brick Marble - - Stunning Example
Item History & Price
M.F. Christensenand Son transitional brick marble -- size: 0.63"; this marble presentsmint in hand, under magnification, a clean surface is present with just a fewlight scuffs & light surface wear, a non-glass loss bruise and a fewnatural, as-made dimples (grade: strongA-). Lovely examples of a MFC brick with finely banded regions of red, black andwhite, along with a nicely tapered and ascending tail -- great specimen thatshows NO sign of having been polished.
Commentson grading... and identification of marbles (formachine made and transitionals; I am more forgiving with handmades): For themost part, if I state without qualification the identification of a marble andits manufacturer, you can be sure I know this from experience. From timeto time, I might make an improper identification; there is a lot going on withmarbles. If I have uncertainty as to the determination I am making, I willtell you. Sometimes, I like guessing. As for grading, I've given up pretendingto know what people really think is a near mint marble, and those that aren't. So, I've come to conclude that the only way to rate the condition of a marble is todescribe it accurately. So here is my scale: I look at the marble withthe unaided eye and grade it, then I hit a loop on it...first three power, then25x power or higher. I describe all as-mades and let you decide whatamount you'll tolerate, because very often you have to with some types ofmarbles. Grade: A: Mint, uncirculated. The best thereis. No flaws. There can only be minor as-mades, and only localized lightsurface scuffing. In a word, perfect, and not very common; most circulatedmarbles never get there. Most of the marbles for sale here won't beperfect. A-: In hand perfect, feel is perfect, some minimal scuffing, no scratches or annealing fractures, afew minor tiny pins not evident without careful examination (a flea is notvisible without careful inspection, is never deep or rough to the feel; alsopin prick). B+: In handvery nice, smooth glass with a few slight rough spots, some scuffing and lightscratching, no deep areas of glass loss; these always have much or most aspectsof the marble without imperfections -- that is, some views are error free ornearly so. In truth, many of a collector's prized marbles are in this conditionand I often notice that many of my B+ marbles rate in the low 9's for thosethat use a numeric scale. B:Still a nice marble, but a number of easier to find fleas, some light hits, scuffing, surface with some abrasions and wear, no major areas of glass loss, in hand without magnification the marble looks very good. There must beunblemished areas, and not fleas densely distributed throughout. B-: A marble in this category isstarting to accumulate problems, so more of the above B marble, most notably, there is no view of the marble that could be considered the 'public side' ofthe marble...the one view that is free of most imperfections at highermagnification. All types of as-mades are mentioned but those are notincluded in the grade...partly because some types of marbles are prone tothese. All B marbles are not used heavily and will always present niceareas of the marble. C: I willonly post these for rare and desirable marbles, and in those cases, I will tellexactly the horrors the marble contains. Sometimes to have a representative, wehave to accept them as they are. These of course, have many fleas, scuffing, hits, sparkles, moons, fractures, explosions, battle scars and allmanner of other possible kinds of damage. ** I will combine shipping if purchasing from multiple auctions ****I will consider shippinginternationally, but please email me before bidding to settle onshipping costs & to review any other important information**
Commentson grading... and identification of marbles (formachine made and transitionals; I am more forgiving with handmades): For themost part, if I state without qualification the identification of a marble andits manufacturer, you can be sure I know this from experience. From timeto time, I might make an improper identification; there is a lot going on withmarbles. If I have uncertainty as to the determination I am making, I willtell you. Sometimes, I like guessing. As for grading, I've given up pretendingto know what people really think is a near mint marble, and those that aren't. So, I've come to conclude that the only way to rate the condition of a marble is todescribe it accurately. So here is my scale: I look at the marble withthe unaided eye and grade it, then I hit a loop on it...first three power, then25x power or higher. I describe all as-mades and let you decide whatamount you'll tolerate, because very often you have to with some types ofmarbles. Grade: A: Mint, uncirculated. The best thereis. No flaws. There can only be minor as-mades, and only localized lightsurface scuffing. In a word, perfect, and not very common; most circulatedmarbles never get there. Most of the marbles for sale here won't beperfect. A-: In hand perfect, feel is perfect, some minimal scuffing, no scratches or annealing fractures, afew minor tiny pins not evident without careful examination (a flea is notvisible without careful inspection, is never deep or rough to the feel; alsopin prick). B+: In handvery nice, smooth glass with a few slight rough spots, some scuffing and lightscratching, no deep areas of glass loss; these always have much or most aspectsof the marble without imperfections -- that is, some views are error free ornearly so. In truth, many of a collector's prized marbles are in this conditionand I often notice that many of my B+ marbles rate in the low 9's for thosethat use a numeric scale. B:Still a nice marble, but a number of easier to find fleas, some light hits, scuffing, surface with some abrasions and wear, no major areas of glass loss, in hand without magnification the marble looks very good. There must beunblemished areas, and not fleas densely distributed throughout. B-: A marble in this category isstarting to accumulate problems, so more of the above B marble, most notably, there is no view of the marble that could be considered the 'public side' ofthe marble...the one view that is free of most imperfections at highermagnification. All types of as-mades are mentioned but those are notincluded in the grade...partly because some types of marbles are prone tothese. All B marbles are not used heavily and will always present niceareas of the marble. C: I willonly post these for rare and desirable marbles, and in those cases, I will tellexactly the horrors the marble contains. Sometimes to have a representative, wehave to accept them as they are. These of course, have many fleas, scuffing, hits, sparkles, moons, fractures, explosions, battle scars and allmanner of other possible kinds of damage. ** I will combine shipping if purchasing from multiple auctions ****I will consider shippinginternationally, but please email me before bidding to settle onshipping costs & to review any other important information**
