mark in Ft. Myers

WOW STEPH!! what incredible research skills (and focus) you have! I can't thank you enough!!! And the points made by stacyw are obviously correct and insightful, as well as those of mmuehlba and BobBlock. What a dedicated and kind group you all comprise. This has been very enlightening and educational indeed. I'm afraid all this enthusiasm has sparked a new interest in my life! Not that i already collect antique Chinese writing/painting impliments, Egyptain ushabti's, handmade Chinese teapots and teas, fossils, rare shells, minerals and crystals and jemstones and rare variegated plants and books..... NOW you have to also pass on a love of handmade marbles......(and i already have a love of colorful glass objects).....so now i have no choice but to begin both researching the topic and going to our local flea-markets and estate auctions........SO I HOPE YOU ARE ALL VERY HAPPY WITH YOURSELVES!!! ;-) My wife is going to have issues! blessngs mark

Thank's Steph...i said that because according to the website Alan's Marble Connection, "At first, German glass marbles were too expensive for most American children to enjoy, and archaeological excavations of working class residential sites dating to the latter half of the nineteenth century demonstrate that less than 5% of the marbles recovered were made from glass, with the balance comprised of the more common, and far less expensive, ceramic and stone marbles. So this statement made me curious..... ;-) mark

Hello and Thank-you for all of your kind and enthusiastic information! I will have to look-up "four-panel onionskin" and find out how they're made. I assume this was new "technology" for the time period? And yes, this marble has been passed-down thru my family with much respect. When it was given to me by my Great cousin (who is now 92), back in the '60's, he told me to not tell the rest of my family that i had it, lest they try'n take it from me!! The rest of the family had no idea what happened to it! It goes back further on my mothers side of the family than any other artifact in our collective possession. The many nicks and bangs make it all the more precious to me. I know it is supposed to be the only thing my great great grandfather had to amuse himself as a child their first winter pioneering in Illinois. His game was to roll it across the floor, attempting to get it stuck in a particular knot-hole. I wonder what he would have done with a modern superball?!! Today's kids would likely die of boredom if their I phones stopped working! Does anyone have any idea what it might have cost when it was new? Again, many thanks for everyone's help! Blessings mark

Greetings I am new to this forum, only having found it today. I am hoping someone here can help me with this. I have a large glass marble, in horrible shape. It is chipped and banged everywhere! However,according to my Grandmother and her sisters (all of whome died decades ago), this marble originally belonged to my Great Great Grandfather. If so, that would likely place its origin beyond the middle 1800's. According to my family, the many chips etc. occurred as my ancestor rolled it across a prarie cabin floor on long winter nights in Illinois (Edgar county). His last name was Davis, and would have been an immigrant from Wales. I would love to varify the age and place of manufacture of this heirloom.....it's supposed to be one of the oldest things from my mothers side of the family, which i was entrusted with as a kid in the 1960's and have managed to hold-on to.... Anything anyone knows would be very thoroughy appreciated!!! I'm including a couple of images, showing the two opposing ends where the colors come together. Sharpie is for size comparison. Many many thanks in advance Mark Hooten, Florida