We enjoy wandering through old historic newspapers from all across the United States. You may have read our stories “Marbles in the Saddle Bag,” “Grandpa’s Marble Stories, ” and “A.L. Dyke: Man of Mystery” We found our inspiration for these stories in the online digital newspaper archives of the Library of Congress.[1] The … [Read more...] about The Drum, Tee-to-tum & Other Marble Stories
Archives
Marbles and High Strangeness
Ever been a bit deeper in the woods than you’ve gone before, or have you ever been camping off trail and, for no reason that you can think of, have you felt a bit spooked, and maybe a tad uneasy? Hair on your neck rises and, for some reason you can’t explain, you are breathing a bit shallow. We have. We felt that way while hiking … [Read more...] about Marbles and High Strangeness
Is This A Marble?
The magazine editors received a message recently from a reader, Edward, with a question about this very unusual stone sphere. Here is the message: “I have attached a photo of what I think is a paleoindian (?) marble. Found along the South Platte River in Littleton, Colorado, it is made of coarse-grained quartzite with the grains … [Read more...] about Is This A Marble?
Marbles In The Saddlebags
Most of the time we write about what we know or what we imagine. And most of the time that means we explore marble mysteries, history, and secrets in the parts of the United States east of the Mississippi. And, of course, we sometimes examine marble mysteries without any clear resolution. But just look at this beautiful view of … [Read more...] about Marbles In The Saddlebags
“River Balls” & Their Toy Marble Legacy
Have you ever seen something similar to this in an antique store, flea market, or yard sale and wondered what it is? And have you seen the same kind of ball in a shop but then heard very different back stories about what they are, how old they are, where they come from, and how they were used? We certainly have. There is no … [Read more...] about “River Balls” & Their Toy Marble Legacy
A.L. Dyke: Man of Mystery
Most of us marble enthusiasts who have collected for a while, been to some marble shows, read marble posts, and made friends in the community, and who have bought, sold, bartered, and given away marbles for years, have at least a basic knowledge of Akron, Ohio, in the 1890s. This was a time of fevered industrial expansion and … [Read more...] about A.L. Dyke: Man of Mystery
Wow! What Size Marble Is That?
We learned recently from Wendy Leyn, our colleague and friend in Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke), West Flanders, Belgium that “marble minds” really do think alike. He recently saw this gigantic marble online and he wrote to Professor Lesley De Cruz[1], who is pictured above.Wendy: “I saw a nice photo of you with a ‘giant marble’ in the … [Read more...] about Wow! What Size Marble Is That?
American Marbles Hidden in Halifax
“Moving On”[1] We moved house while we were writing our story about Canadian marbles (https://thesecretlifeofmarbles.com/the-history-of-marbles-in-canada/) and we could not locate these Halifax marbles in our collection. We wanted them for our Canada story. Well, we are in our new home, we have located them, and we decided to share … [Read more...] about American Marbles Hidden in Halifax
Stonebows Using Marbles?
Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Pellet Crossbow ca. 1550 – 1600, Probably Italian or French[1]Some of you may hunt with crossbows or may use them recreationally. Others may also use stone bows or pellet bows and you may know all about different type pellets, caliber, velocity, and overall firepower. Well, while … [Read more...] about Stonebows Using Marbles?
Dispatch From A Moscow Museum
Co-Author: Wendy Leyn, Zonnebeke, Belgium All photos by Dr. Maria Tendryakova Dr. Maria Tendryakova[1] sent our frequent co-author Wendy Leyn an amazing email and photographs after her recent visit to the toys exhibition in the Museum of Archeology of Moscow. Dr. Tendryakova is Senior Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and … [Read more...] about Dispatch From A Moscow Museum
Marble Playing as an Expression of Traditional Kuwaiti Life
Author: Professor Dr. Caroline Janssen[1] Prologue: Jo & Larry Garrett In our story “Funny Money: Playing Marbles on Notes and Coins” (https://thesecretlifeofmarbles.com/funny-money-playing-marbles-on-notes-coins/), we write that while living and traveling in the Middle East (between 1985 – 2001), we never saw adults or … [Read more...] about Marble Playing as an Expression of Traditional Kuwaiti Life
The History of Marbles in Canada
Photo: Julie Toupin 2019, Creative Commons 4.0 (by-nc-nd) Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology & History Complex/CeEt-14 > Operation 2134-35 > Catalogue Number 13, Archéolab Quèbec La Collection Archéologique De Référence Du Québec[1] Principle Researchers Wendy Leyn, Zonnebeke, Belgium & Julia McIntosh, Library … [Read more...] about The History of Marbles in Canada
