I enjoyed the discussion on marbles as a collectible artform. Recently I found some incredible glass marbles at an artshow and just received note from the Seattle artist Todd Martin, that he launched his website a few weeks ago.
www.toddmartinglass.comI highly recommend this site. It is beautifully done, complimenting his amazing work.
Something to keep in mind is that not all marbles are made the same way.
Serious collectors know that inferior/most artists break off the punty in the flame and then buff out the rough spot. I believe that the more valuable collectable is one that has been completely crafted IN THE FLAME, as Martin's are. He explained to me at his artshow that he does no buffing, but instead works with a smaller and smaller punty and in the end lets the flame itself smooth out the rough spot. This is something I hadn't known before and now that I am inquiring with other glass artists, I am finding that Martin is rare. His work is just beautiful.
If you haven't explored his site, I urge you to visit it. He also makes pendants, bracelets, large sculptural pieces combining glass and bronze, as well as his own unique solid glass wine stoppers. I got some wine stoppers and a glass cork pull (he doesn't have those on the site, but you can buy them if you go to one of his art shows) for a friend's wedding and it was their favorite gift.
Happy collecting. And yes, marbles are very collectible.
Seattle glass collector