Marble Stories

In July 2021 we ordered some glass marbles, which we had seen online, from the Heisey Museum (https://heiseymuseum.org/). They still have some stock left. Gorgeous, aren’t they? And small at about 9/16” to 17/32”. Each has a crystal base and some of the most unusual ribbons that we have ever seen. And they are from one unique and … [Read more...] about Heisey Glass Marbles

Every collector has a particular way of going about it. Some collect only Peltier Glass Company (“Pelts”) and some are even more specific than that: they only collect National Line Rainbos (NLRs) or Comics. Others are crazy about sulfides and German swirls and they spend their time and money searching high and low for for these. … [Read more...] about Why Not Dirt and Rocks?

New Haven, Connecticut The Daily Morning Journal and Courier July 1, 1901[1] They Put What on a marble? This is the same heading we used to start our story Marshmallow Marbles?  In that post we explained how incredulous we were to learn that a company made and sold marshmallow candy. It was unbelievable to us that any company would … [Read more...] about Repeating Torpedo Marbles

Sketch by Lynn G. Howell The Low-Down on Privy Marbles Full disclosure: we have never dug a privy![1] Never had the opportunity and we have learned recently that you have to be either young and strong or older and in good physical shape to successfully dig. Some privy digs are so deep that a ladder is needed just to reach the … [Read more...] about You Dug It Up Where?

A Deleterious Ingredient!What, you ask, is a deleterious ingredient?  Basically, it is any foreign object or ingredient in food that can adversely affect your health.  When marbles were inserted into candy during manufacturing, they became a deleterious ingredient!17 Years?In the recent post Dragons and Farbles With A Pinch of … [Read more...] about Marshmallow Marbles?

“Creativity takes courage.” — Henri Matisse Can’t Every Artist be Internationally Known Today? Yes, it’s true. With the Internet, any artist with a good camera and a willingness to develop a web site can become well-known worldwide. Many have. We have met glass artists in their studios and galleries all across the United … [Read more...] about Regional & Local Glass Marble Artists

 "Never laugh at live dragons." ― J.R.R. Tolkien The Hobbit Relax & have fun! This Isn’t Rocket Science! We always had fun collecting marbles. Over the years we have traveled in search of marbles and we have found over 2,700 marbles in 239 different communities. Check our story Far-Flung in Wimauma in this magazine. We have … [Read more...] about Dragons and Farbles With A Pinch of Pewter

It’s got to be Art! In 2007 we had only been collecting marbles for a few years and our focus was on glass mid-20th century American machine-made marbles. However, we had learned about stone (and agate), clay, and other marble materials and we had seen all sorts of handmade art marbles online and in a few shops. For Christmas … [Read more...] about Contemporary Art Glass Marbles

“Boston boys are sore because the girls are playing marbles. Gee whiz, hoaly smoak, paw, isn’t there any limit to sex invasion?” Evening Public Ledger, Philadelphia, PA, March 22, 1922, Night Extra, Page 8. Their Marble Playing Blazed a Trail for Others “Hoaly Smoak”! In recent posts we have noted that we enjoy browsing in the … [Read more...] about Girls Are Crack Shots With A Marble

"It is a bold mouse that makes her nest in the cat's ear." --- Danish Proverb A Few Thoughts about Nests Yellow Jackets make their nests in the ground. Storks make nests; so do osprey. Machine gunners use nests and sometimes snipers, too. Alligators, blue birds, some spiders curl leaves into nests. Bees, and whole families of … [Read more...] about A Nest of Monkeys

Yep, a Lead-Clad Glass Marble: But Why? We learn a lot of interesting things from the comments we receive from this magazine and from emails from readers of our book The Secret Life of Marbles. We enjoy hearing from readers. Just awhile ago we received this intriguing email sent from an iphone. A Remarkable Email “I found this … [Read more...] about A Lead-Clad Marble