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
Archives
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 … [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, … [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
Funny Money: Playing Marbles on Notes & Coins
Co-author: Wendy Leyn, Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke), Belgium Around Christmas 2015 Larry was speaking with Dare Hawkins, a marble friend of ours in Weston, West Virginia, about some questions we had about marbles. Dare is semi-retired and volunteers at the American Museum of Glass in West Virginia which is located in Weston … [Read more...] about Funny Money: Playing Marbles on Notes & Coins
The Wearable Marble
When we were living in Kissimmee, Florida several years ago, we camped all over the state. One of our favorite trips was to the Florida Everglades where we were awed by the color and shapes in the flora and fauna. We took more pictures there than usual. From these we selected a few as inspiration for the glass colors for a marble … [Read more...] about The Wearable Marble
Invisible Children
For a very long time children had no role in archaeology. Child’s play, children’s toys, the life and health of children, and children’s roles in society were seldom mentioned in archaeological field dig reports. Children, toys, and games and children’s material cultures were almost never mentioned at learned meetings and … [Read more...] about Invisible Children
Rolley Hole Update
In a previous post, we wrote a short announcement about attending a rolley hole tournament. We recently learned about a long-standing tournament in Tennessee and a permanent rolley hole yard which honors a marble maker named Bud Garrett Robert “Bud” Garrett was an African-American musician, marble maker and supporter of a … [Read more...] about Rolley Hole Update
