Buy It Now "BIN" Marbles
Listed below are items on which the consignor has requested a reserve price. Because all items in our auctions are offered without reserve, items with a reserve are offered here with a fixed price as "Buy It Now" sales.
CHRISTENSEN AGATE COMPANY NO. 1 GUINEA BOX
Click here to view a 15 minute video of the box and each individual marble
An original Christensen Agate Company No. 1 World's Best Guineas Box, with marbles, in a handmade wood display case.
The box is original. Both lid and base are paper-covered cardboard. A label "World's Best Guineas" is pasted on the lid, as is typical of these boxes. The box contains its original tissue interior insert.
The box lid has some rubbing on it, a few small stains, with some humidity staining at the lower end of the lid. One corner of the lid has separated, which has also torn the covering paper in that corner. There is a small tear at one thumb notch.
The box base is undamaged.
The tissue paper insert is free of any tears. The paper backing of the tissue has shadows showing the position of each marble due to acid leaching from the cardboard lid. The interior tissue has depressions where each marble rests. We believe that all marbles in this box are original to the box.
There are 26 marbles in the box. 25 original and genuine Guineas and one transparent cobalt blue marble. The cobalt blue marble is the same color and hue as the base on the cobalt blue based Guineas. These blue marbles have been found in several Guinea boxes. It is believed it was used as a spacer in the box so that the marbles did not roll around during transit. The Guineas consist of 14 Clear base, 10 Cobalt Blue base, 1 Amber base. All marbles are 21/32" (just over 5/8") to 11/16" diameter. The sizing is consistent with the 3/32" variation seen in size No. 1 marbles. 24 Guineas are Mint. 1 Guinea has a tiny subsurface moon and is Near Mint(+). The blue spacer marble is 5/8" and Mint. The Guineas exhibit a wide variation of styles, with some completely covered in color, some having viewing windows, and some having color inside the marble that can be seen through the viewing windows. This a truly stunning set of marbles.
The box is displayed in a wood box with glass lid, fitted with black foam that has been been customized to hold the box lid and the box bottom. There is a small brass handle.
Guinea boxes are very hard to find and rarely come up for sale. This is a gorgeous set of marbles in an original box. A rare opportunity,
This set is offered for sale at $36,000. There is no Buyer Premium on this item. The price includes Free Shipping. Contact us at sales@marbleauctions.com to purchase this item.
CHRISTENSEN AGATE COMPANY NO. 1 CYCLONE BOX
Click here to view a 15 minute video of the box and each individual marble
An original Christensen Agate Company No. 1 "Cyclone" Box, with marbles.
The box is an American Agates box where the word "Agates" has been crossed out and a "C" written next to it. The cross-out lines and the "C" are in blue ink from a fountain pen. It has been reported that the "C" stands for "Clearies",, There is no documentation from the company that supports that hypothesis. The terms "Cyclone" and "Cobra" were created by modern marble collectors. So, it is unclear what the "C" actually stands for.
This box is extremely rare. Less than half dozen are known to exist. At least one of those was known to be incomplete at its last sale. This particular box has been pictured in several marble books over a period of many years. The current owner has had it for at least the past 35 years.
The box lid is intact with a little rubbing of the edges.
The box base is undamaged.
The tissue paper insert is free of any tears. The paper backing of the tissue has shadows showing the position of each marble due to acid leaching from the cardboard lid. The interior tissue has depressions where each marble rests. We believe that all marbles in this box are original to the box.
There are 25 marbles in the box. They are a combination of "Cyclones" and "Cobras" (see the video). Three marbles are transparent blue base, the remainder are clear. The interior colors are three different color combinations: Primrose Lavender and yellow, electric orange and light blue, electric orange and black, electric orange and light blue, orange with light blue and black. 4 marbles have tiny and very small flakes, remainder are undamaged. All marbles are 21/32" (just over 5/8") to 11/16" diameter. The sizing is consistent with the 3/32" variation seen in size No. 1 marbles.
The box is Mint, 21 marbles are Mint, 4 are Near Mint(+) to Near Mint.
We cannot stress the rarity of this boxed set. As noted above, very few are known to exist. Anecdotally it is believed that Cyclones/Cobras are 50 to 100 times rarer than Guineas. This box is exceptionally rare and would be a crown jewel of any marble collection. A rare opportunity to be the next owner of one of the rarest and most pictured boxed sets in the hobby of marble collecting.
This set is offered for sale at $130,000. There is no Buyer Premium on this item. The price includes Free Hand Delivery. Contact us at sales@marbleauctions.com to purchase this item.
