“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” Marie Curie [1] Doped Marbles & the 2% Club In our book The Secret Life of Marbles we take a look at one way the American Military used uranium-doped marbles in Cold War weapons testing. That section is called Hot Glass and Moving Targets and it is in … [Read more...] about Fenton Glass Marbles
Were Victorian Sulfide Marbles Made in America?
All knowledge degenerates into probability. — David Hume [1] A Little Backstory We have a few Victorian sulfides in our collection and we recently posted Contemporary Figural Marbles in this eMagazine. Check that post for some background on sulfides. In 2006 we first asked ourselves the question “Were sulfide marbles … [Read more...] about Were Victorian Sulfide Marbles Made in America?
Museum and Other Resources
We're providing you with some of the best museum resources that we've found along the way. Each of these museums contributed to our book, The Secret Life of Marbles. The Museum of American Glass in West Virginia The staff at the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia have been, without exception, extremely … [Read more...] about Museum and Other Resources
Contemporary Figural Marbles
The proper order of things is often a mystery to me.” - Cheshire Cat A Few Words about Words What precisely is the difference between an antique and a contemporary figural marble? Before 1890 marbles were handmade; today gorgeous glass marbles are still being made by hand. Are “contemporary” marbles those made using … [Read more...] about Contemporary Figural Marbles
How are Marbles & Civil War Prison Art Connected?
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” - Albert Einstein All or Nothing Is nothing something? Does nothing mean something? These two questions have served as the basis for study and debate, including at the post-graduate level, for millennia. Scholars in both philosophy and physics carry on … [Read more...] about How are Marbles & Civil War Prison Art Connected?
Bobby Dazzlers! Marbles Used in Jewelry
Bammy-douzler? As you may well imagine the phrase “bobby dazzler” is much older than it’s recent use on Oak Island. The phrase is known in Australia, but it’s origin can be traced to the mid-19th century in northern England. The meaning of the first part of the phrase is unknown. The second word is from the verb “dazzle”, … [Read more...] about Bobby Dazzlers! Marbles Used in Jewelry
Marbles Used as Munitions in the American Civil War
I’m 100% Certain! Somewhat…. Which facts, stories, or statistics do you know with absolute certainty about the Civil War? You may not remember it “off the top of your head” but you can certainly get the solid facts online, right? Yes. And no. For example, President Lincoln used electrical signaling with unparallel … [Read more...] about Marbles Used as Munitions in the American Civil War
Mudlarking Marbles!
Anyone live near to the water where the mudlarks build their bowl-like nests of soft mud and then line them with feathers? Sometimes called Pee Wees, mudlarks are fairly large black and white flycatchers which are called Magpie-larks in Australia. We have no idea when or by whom the mudlark name was first applied to paupers … [Read more...] about Mudlarking Marbles!
Cambridge Glass Company Marbles: A Second Look
He never worked where? Our recent post about Cambridge Glass and Christensen marbles generated some very interesting responses online. We were most surprised by the reaction to the information on A. Fiedler. After complaining about misinformation in the post, one writer noted: most of the misinformation is about … [Read more...] about Cambridge Glass Company Marbles: A Second Look
More Marble Collectables
Rats! Foiled Again. We recently asked any visitor to the Blog “Rats and Knuckle Down” if they had ever seen the sculpture, casting, marble collectable, or whatever it is of two rats knuckled down to a game of marbles. Well, that figurine remains a big mystery because no one has responded. Yet. In the Rat Blog we also … [Read more...] about More Marble Collectables
Cambridge Glass Company Marbles
You Have What? There are marbles in our collection made using cullet from well-known glasshouses which are extremely popular and often older and well-established. These companies never produced marbles or have ceased their production. For example, we have a clutch of marbles made from Burmese uranium glass made by The … [Read more...] about Cambridge Glass Company Marbles
Rats and “Knuckle Down”
We have no idea if rats can knuckle down. In fact, we have no idea whether or not rats even have knuckles; at least not in the traditional use of the noun today. We do know that rats have a collapsible skeleton and can get through seemingly impossibly small holes. We have first-hand experience of rats gnawing through a … [Read more...] about Rats and “Knuckle Down”
