Badger Marble Club Show Summary October 29, 2000

The Badger Marble Club show for 2000 is over. Club members are already planning for 2001. Reason number one is that the date has been changed. The next show will be held July 22nd, 2001. Same place, same format.

Reason number two; to the satisfaction of BMC is that the October show was very successful. Twenty-seven rooms were filled with marbles by Saturday and twenty-seven show tables for Sunday. Lots of transactions and a good number of marbles came through the door looking for new homes. Most notable was an 'amber sulfide' with an owl, while six gorgeous Peltier National Line Rainbows (one of each) wet mint went to the highest bidder. Great variety at the tables kept most attendees around for hours. Several with a real affliction helped open the doors at 10:00 am and close them at 3:00.

The reason for the change in dates is primarily the calendar. The club was always dodging the Packers and Badgers , which pushed us closer to some other shows. In the mid-west, the July date seemed to fit best. Also no other show conflicts and a chance to have a few days in an air-conditioned facility to do something we really enjoy.

Club members are unanimous in trying to sponsor the finest show possible and we hope to continue to lure some of our hobby's most sincere and dedicated collectors and dealers. It was a great social with a lot of discussion about the state of the hobby. There is a restaurant on site with very reasonable prices and great food. Most of our show participants took advantage of that. As usual, during the show, we had coffee, cookies, and later, sandwich and vegetable trays with a variety of calories. Our facilities at Quality Inn are great. Large clean rooms at a reasonable rate. The show room is at the end of the hall, only a short walk for all.

We made an effort to promote 'room trading' in ever-possible way, and while we all would have liked to have more visitors in rooms, it was probably up a little from previous years. We advertised widely and had a nice picture and comment in the Saturday's Wisconsin State Journal. We're hoping the cumulative publicity from the past three years will give us a real opportunity to improve in all regards at the July show.

Sunday saw some really great 'stuff' on tables. A tremendous variety of marbles as you might expect, including the up-and-coming next generation antiques . . . the contemporaries. With the old and new, there was a lot of beautiful stuff. Boxes, memorabilia, games, pictures, postcards, magazines, and a fabulous home crafted gravity run over six feet tall (see pic). Fred Leuenberger came to buff and polish and was busy for the duration. Mike Consentino had his Showcases available, while you could have your pick of experts to help you identify the marbles that should be in 'showcases', and there were many.

If you like marbles, this show is a good place to be. Great facility, great food, nice folks, lots of socializing, excellent marbles and 'stuff'. In my short life as a serious collector, I see what that might mean to all of us. Many have become sincere and close friends. If you have any constructive comments that would make our show better, convey them us.

Contact any of the club members listed here or in the show flyer if you have any questions. We always have a block of rooms together, but by all means, be sure to reserve your rooms in the near future if you are planning to attend. Mention that you will be in the Badger Marble Club block.

Overheard at the end of the show: "I'm leaving with more money and more
marbles than I came with." Anyone need a guest speaker?????