Highlights: Shrunken core onionskin marble with floating blizzard mica, $36,285; rare pink opaque lutz marble with red bands, $28,290; end of day marble with heavy floating blizzard mica, $20,910

DENVER, April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A shrunken core onionskin marble with colors of white, yellow, orange and blue soared to $36,285, and a scarce pink opaque lutz marble with red bands finished at $28,290 at a Premier Marbles auction held April 11 at Morphy Auctions' flagship gallery. The best of the best in the booming hobby of marble collecting was on full display in the auction, which was packed with 478 quality lots.

The wildly-colorful shrunken core onionskin marble boasted the perfect amount of floating mica to allow the core to be seen. It was expected to do well, having a high estimate of $30,000. But eager bidders pushed that to a final price of $36,285, making it the top lot of the auction. The marble, 2¼ inches in diameter and graded 9.7, showed a few as-made indentations, or hot spots.

The rare pink opaque lutz marble with red bands also came into the sale with high expectations. It had a pre-sale estimate of $20,000-$25,000, but as was the case with the top lot, bidders surpassed even the high estimate with a winning bid of $28,290. The 7/8-inch-diameter marble, graded 9.7, is very hard to find in the color combination it displayed, and collectors rewarded that with aggressive bidding.

A hard-to-find, single-pontil end of day marble with heavy floating blizzard mica sold within estimate for $20,910. Measuring 2¼ inches in diameter with an early, faceted pontil and white base with blue and pink, the marble was graded 9.8 for condition.

A stunning, deep four-lobed onionskin marble with a white base and a rainbow of colors, including turquoise, yellow, red and blue, realized $19,680, which was within estimate. The marble was 2 inches in diameter and graded 9.5. It had an early faceted pontil, and the surface showed two minor sub-surface reflections.

A scarce single-pontil end of day Joseph's Coat swirl marble in colors of white, green, blue, yellow and red breezed past the $15,000 high estimate to settle at $17,835. Some of the colors in the 2-inch-diameter marble started at the bottom pontil and came back to the same pontil. The surface showed two micro-reflections and one as-made flat spot.

One of the true sleepers of the sale was a Peltier stained-glass box set advertising Robin Hood Shoes, very rare and the only one known. The set was said to have been given to a child after his or her parents bought shoes. The marbles contained therein averaged a grade of 9.5 and included five each of Ketchups and Mustards, Rebel, Superman, Christmas Tree and Liberty. The box, which exhibited some wear on the top edges, included a bag but was still graded Very Good. The set came into the auction with a $4,000-$8,000 estimate but ended up selling for a robust $17,220.

Another lot that topped all expectations was a beautiful Christensen marble, 5/8 inches in diameter, having a blue base with a hand-gathered "9" in colors of orange, green and yellow, plus black layered bands opposite the "9." Bidders saw this for the awesome and visually arresting marble that it was, and ignored the $400-$600 estimate with a final selling price of $7,380.

To discuss consigning to a future Premier Marbles Auction, or other auction hosted by Morphy's, please call Dan Morphy at 877-968-8880, or email him at 412191@email4pr.com. All enquiries are kept strictly confidential, and there is never an obligation to consign. Online: www.morphyauctions.com.

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SOURCE Morphy Auctions