Senior Author: Wendy Leyn, Zonnebeke, Belgium Deceased, 2024 In our October 2023 post “Circles, Triangles, & Holes” we described how children in different countries tend to draw different patterns on the ground, or in chalk or on cobbles, in which to set up their marble games. In the Americas, for example, … [Read more...] about French Marble Triangles
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Mid-Western American Hot Glass
Remember James Harvey Leighton? Marble collectors everywhere and those who just have a love of marble history remember Leighton for his 1891 patent for the "manufacture of glass spheres". This was the first U.S. patent issued to make toy glass marbles by machine instead of by hand. Double Dipping? As described in our recent post … [Read more...] about Mid-Western American Hot Glass
Sand: Another Four Letter Word?
Smithsonian Open Access|Smithsonian Institution[1] Have you ever heard a story or read an anecdote in a book, magazine, or online which you then could not get off of your mind? Hopefully, that happened with one of our stories! While later searching or just browsing online or while working on a project with your marbles, have you … [Read more...] about Sand: Another Four Letter Word?
History Flashback: Dave McCullough & D.A.S. Marbles
Recognize these D.A.S. marbles? These were made by the legendary Dave McCullough (deceased 2024) in his hot glass shop Dave's Appalachian Swirls in Pennsboro, W.V. Dave was the premier colorist of the 20th and 21st centuries. In the March 29, 2012 online issue of Poor Richard's Almanac, Dave is referred to as having set the … [Read more...] about History Flashback: Dave McCullough & D.A.S. Marbles
It All Started In the Garden
Guest Author: Christiaan Therry, Roeselare, Flemish Region, Belgium Fifty years ago, when I got married, I moved in with my parents-in-law. Living with family was normal back then and it still is in Belgium. My father-in-law once asked me: “Christiaan, do you like working in the garden?” My answer was: “Yes, very much so.” No … [Read more...] about It All Started In the Garden
Marble Snippets From Afar
Joueur de Billes (Marble Player)[1] Co-Author: Wendy Leyn, Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke), West Flanders, Belgium Editors: It is with deep sadness that we tell you that our dear friend Wendy Leyn has died due to heart failure. Wendy was a friend, a colleague, and one of the most dedicated and tenacious researchers that it has been our … [Read more...] about Marble Snippets From Afar
Circles, Triangles & Holes
Wait a minute! We have shared marble stories with you about playing in circles and with holes, but "triangles"? Did you play marbles as a child or do you still play? Bet you played in circles. Have you ever considered how children in different countries (or even on different continents) set up for a game of marbles? Look at our … [Read more...] about Circles, Triangles & Holes
Marble History Flashback: Privy Marbles
It's hard to believe that you had to use an outside toilet not so very long ago. It's even harder to believe that anyone would go digging around in the accumulated "stuff" decades later to find a privy marble! You Dug It Up Where? was one of our most popular emagazine stories. This old privy marble has a story. The dealer we … [Read more...] about Marble History Flashback: Privy Marbles
It’s Not All Rocket Science
Have you ever walked away from buying a marble that you really like? If it wasn't the price that discouraged you, perhaps it was the lack of provenance or the absence of a signature on an obviously hand made marble. Marble "buyers" frequently think about marbles as "investments" and they approach purchases armed with a list of … [Read more...] about It’s Not All Rocket Science
Nikolai’s Marbles: Analytic Comments
Co-Author: Wendy Leyn, Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke), West Flanders, Belgium Marbles in Russia? If you have been following the story line about Russian marbles, you will understand that there is a lot behind this story in addition to researching their history. You can catch up with the story line at Has Nikolai Lost His Marbles? and … [Read more...] about Nikolai’s Marbles: Analytic Comments
Searching For Nikolai’s Marbles
Co-Author: Wendy Leyn, Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke), West Flanders, Belgium This story is a companion to “Has Nikolai Lost His Marbles?”. In that first story we started a review of the literature about Russian marbles and we collected reports from a number of experts and university-based academicians in the fields of phonetics, … [Read more...] about Searching For Nikolai’s Marbles
Has Nikolai Lost His Marbles?
Courtesy of Bart Hendrickx, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy – Ghent University,Ghent, Belgium Co-Author: Wendy Leyn, Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke), West Flanders, Belgium Editors: It is with deep sadness that we tell you that our dear friend Wendy Leyn has died due to heart failure. Wendy was a friend, a colleague, and one of the most … [Read more...] about Has Nikolai Lost His Marbles?
