GRADING FOR CONDITION

All lots in our auctions are guaranteed to be genuine and authentic. We do not guarantee grade, since grading is a matter of personal opinion. Grading is an art, not a science, and therefore the opinion rendered by the us or any third party grading service may not agree with the opinion of others (including trained experts). In addition, the same expert may not grade the same item with the same grade at two different times. That being said we are generally regarded as one of the most conservative graders in the marble hobby.

We use the following grading system:

Mint (9.9-9.0). A marble that is in its original condition is identified as Mint. The surface has no marks or damage that occurred subsequent to being produced. There may be some minor rubbing on the surface of the marble is as it came from the factory. There may also be minor defects on the marble that occurred in production: popped air holes, melt marks, contact marks, annealing fractures. A marble that has factory markings will be graded as Mint(-) and the defects will be described.

Near Mint (8.9-8.0). A marble that has seen some usage is identified as Near Mint. The marble may have evidence of hit marks, including tiny to small subsurface moons, chips, flakes or bruises. The damage is apparent but does not detract from viewing the marble.

Good (7.9-7.0). A marble that has seen usage is identified as Good. The marble will have numerous hit marks, subsurface moons, chips, flakes or bruises. The core can still be seen clearly, but the marble has seen obvious usage.

Collectible (no grade, below 7.0). A marble that has seen significant usage is identified as Collectible. The marble will have moons, chips, flakes and bruises overall. The core is completely obscured in some spots. A Collectible marble has seen obvious extensive usage. It can serve as a collection placeholder until a better example replaces it.

Buffed (no grade). A marble that has received a very light polish. Generally this is done to remove minor haziness on the surface. A buff will not remove chips, pits or subsurface moons. For a handmade marble, the pontils will still be mostly present. Buffing on a handmade marble can be identified as the marble feeling "slippery" to the touch because the surface has been very lightly smoothed. Buffing on a machine made marble usually results in subsurface air holes being exposed and the colors will slightly change hue. We assign no grade to the resulting buffed marble because grading only applies to marbles that still retain their original surface.

Polishing (no grade). A marble that has received a heavier polish. Generally this is done to remove damage on the surface. A polish may or may not leave remnants of chips, pits or subsurface moons. For a handmade marble, the pontils will not be present. Generally the impact of polishing a machine made marble is indiscernable from buffing unless the remants of damage remain.  We assign no grade to the resulting polished marble because grading only applies to marbles that still retain their original surface.

Remelted (no grade). A marble that has been partially remelted by a torch or in a furnace. Generally this is done to melt the outer surface of the marble so that it can be resmoothed to remove damage on the surface. A remelt is almost never done to a machine made marble (except for some very rare types). The remelt usually will leave tiny air bubbles under the surface, possibly a smooth surface, and occasionally a rippled surface, depending on the method used. The pontils would have been melted but often fake pontils will be added. We assign no grade to the resulting remelted marble because grading only applies to marbles that still retain their original surface.

Reworked (no grade). A marble that has been partially remelted by a torch or in a furnace and had additional glass applied to the surface. Generally this is done to smooth the outer surface of a marble to remove damage on the original surface. A rework is almost never done to a machine made marble (except for some very rare types). The rework usually will leave tiny air bubbles under the surface, possibly a smooth surface, and occasionally a rippled surface, depending on the method used. The pontils would have been melted but often fake pontils will be added. We assign no grade to the resulting reworked marble because grading only applies to marbles that still retain their original surface.

Kindly refer to the on-line guide at marblecollecting.com for examples, or search past auctions of ours for grading examples.