AKRO CORKSCREWS

ALAN THIS IS THE TEXT FOR ALL CORKSCREWS

Perhaps the most popular Akro Agate marbles are the corkscrews. These are basically unique to the company and consist of one or more spirals of color encircling the marble from one pole to the other without ever crossing. Some corkscrews have a double or triple twist, particularly those in transparent glass. Corkscrews may have a white, colored, or transparent base; some contain several colors, fluorescent glass, or oxblood. The variety is nearly limitless, and is enhanced by hybrids and experimentals. Corkscrews come in a variety of sizes, though any over one inch are extremely rare and were usually "experimentals," whereas those 1/2" or smaller are perhaps even more scarce. Some corkscrews will possess feathering near the ends of the spirals, manifested as fine "fingers" of color extending from tiny crescent-shaped crimp marks; as mentioned earlier, this trait indicates manufacture prior to the "Freese improvement" of the mid-1920s. Such early marbles will also usually have vibrant colors.

Corkscrews with two opaque colors were called Prize Names, while those with three or more opaque colors were called Specials. These come in a bewildering array of color combinations. White-based examples are most common. Usually, the colors formed separate strata as they were injected into the shearing mechanisms of the marble machines. However, sometimes the colors blended, perhaps because the densities of the different colored glass were similar. When counting colors in corkscrews, it is generally accepted that the blended colors are not counted separately. Therefore, for instance, a blue and yellow corkscrew with a green blend is a two-color Prize Name, not a three-color Special.

Other types of corkscrews named by the company itself include: Spirals, which have a transparent clear base and a colored spiral; Onyxes, which have a transparent colored base with a white spiral; and Aces, which have a translucent milky white base with a colored spiral. Some names have been adopted by collectors. A "snake" is a Spiral or Onyx with the spiral near the surface of the marble, while a "ribbon" has the spiral nearer to the center. Rarely, a corkscrew wil be a cross between a Spiral and an Onyx, in that it will have a colored transparent base and a colored spiral. However, these are often misidentified, as a white spiral may simply look colored beneath the colored base glass.

One of the most popular corkscrew types is the Popeye (marketed as the Tri-Onyx by the company), so-named because it was sold in the much-sought after Popeye box (which depicted the cartoon character). This marble is recognizable because it contains a transparent clear glass with opaque white filaments in addition to a combination of two other colors (Popeyes with three or more colors are called Hybrid Popeyes). Some Popeyes have very little clear areas in them, while others have wide clear areas. Popeye color combinations, in approximate decreasing order of frequency, include red/yellow, green/yellow, red/green, dark blue/yellow, light purple/yellow, dark purple/yellow, powder blue/yellow, dark blue/red, red/orange, blue/green, and black/yellow. The yellow is often entirely or, more often, partially fluorescent.

Related to Popeyes are Imperials and Ringers. Ringers have the clear areas with white filaments of Popeyes but only have one additional color. Usually this color is transparent red or orange. Imperials have a more translucent milky base, with a red spiral shadowed by a more transparent orange spiral.

"Ade" corkscrews are identified by their base glass of translucent off-white mixed with wispy opaque white. The spirals on these marbles will be translucent and come in yellow ("lemonades"), green ("limeades"), orange ("orangeades"), red ("cherryades"), and reddish brown (Carnelians). Sometimes these spirals will be accompanied by oxblood, though this is a more common feature on Ade swirls (see below). Lemonade oxbloods and limeade oxbloods are most common; typically, there is more oxblood on the former than the latter.

Besides oxblood ades, oxblood may occur on other corkscrews. Oxblood is a type of glass that is always dark opaque red with fine black filaments in it. It is extremely easy to recognize once a collector has seen it at least once. Oxblood corkscrews can be quite valuable. One of the rarest types, if not the rarest, is the Popeye oxblood. Besides this and the aforementioned oxblood ades, oxblood corkscrews can include oxblood on a transparent clear base ("clear oxbloods"), oxblood on a translucent milky white base ("Milky Oxbloods"), oxblood on translucent wispy white base ("silver oxbloods"), oxblood on an opaque brown base ("chocolate oxbloods"), oxblood on a milky translucent white base with opaque yellow ("eggyolk oxbloods"), and oxblood on a milky translucent white base with translucent blue ("blue oxbloods"). These are more commonly seen as swirls than as corkscrews, though. True oxblood corkscrews are usually on an opaque or translucent white base, though oxblood on colored bases are known but are rare. Oxblood on top of a blue spiral on a white base is known as a "blueblood." Hybrid examples (e.g. "blue eggyolk oxbloods") occur but are extremely rare. It should be emphasized that oxblood usually occurs on the surface of a marble but is sometimes found beneath.

Sometimes two corkscrews fell down the marble machine chute at the same time, forming together into what is called a "double ingot" corkscrew. This usually is found with those that have all opaque colors and which are in shooter sizes. The resulting marble has what appears to be seams and a "broken" corkscrew pattern. These are frequently mistaken for Peltier's National Line Rainbos.

SWIRLS