leroy65 Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 After many years of looking, searching and asking, I still don't know what the big (2" and above) hand made German marbles were used for. Lately I have been receiving very large hand made marbles (a few over 3") that are beat up for reconditioning. They have everything from impacts to missing glass. If anyone can help me out with what these large marbles were used for I'd certainly appreciate it. ----Leroy---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spara50 Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 Over 3"? Wow...nice. I think they were all toys for any type of game you wanted to dream up. The larger ones no doubt were rolled like boules, it would be hard not to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdesousa Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 After many years of looking, searching and asking, I still don't know what the big (2" and above) hand made German marbles were used for. Lately I have been receiving very large hand made marbles (a few over 3") that are beat up for reconditioning. They have everything from impacts to missing glass. If anyone can help me out with what these large marbles were used for I'd certainly appreciate it. ----Leroy---- At the height of the glass marble industry in Thuringen, there were at least a dozen US toy merchants who maintained offices in Sonnenburg, a centrally located town with good facilities, about a 1/2 day's walk from many of the marble factories. I'm told large "specimen" marbles, probably single pontil, individually made marbles, were given as presents to representatives of these foreign companies who bought the bulk of the marble production. You could send an inquiry to their local toy museum: http://www.itcwebdesigns.com/tour_germany/toy_museum_sonneberg01.htm Other than that, the game of bowls has been around since antiquity: http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Bowls.htm Ceramic bowls were used in the UK in the 1800s; don't know about large glass balls though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeroen Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 Can you post some photos of the 3 inch + marbles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstmmrbls Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 What nots( or just neat pretty items) became very vogue during Victorian times. They even made a huge variety of displays we now call what not shelves. I have no doubt the large round marbles were often put on display on these shelves mantles etc. Here is one I have on my mantle. They were also made to hang on the wall and large ones were like curio cabinets that stood on the floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdesousa Posted January 5, 2014 Report Share Posted January 5, 2014 What nots( or just neat pretty items) became very vogue during Victorian times. They even made a huge variety of displays we now call what not shelves. I have no doubt the large round marbles were often put on display on these shelves mantles etc. Here is one I have on my mantle. They were also made to hang on the wall and large ones were like curio cabinets that stood on the floor. Yes, that was definitely something large marbles were used for. In one of Jeff Carskadden's books there's a page from a 1880's catalog from a Colorado company, the H.H. Tammen Co., which imported German agates. Large agate marbles were sold "for cabinet pieces", or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroy65 Posted January 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 It makes sense about what is posted, however some of the big marbles that I have received are very beat up. Of course they wouldn't be coming to me if they were in mint condition. Some have very deep impacts (more than one per marble-sometimes as many as a dozen) How did these big marbles get those impacts? I don't believe they got them from just falling off of a "what-not shelve". On some of them the damage is fairly intense. All were reconditioned without opening the ends, but in order to keep that from happening, some light damage could have been left. All had one or more very good viewing side(s). I can't post any pictures of these marbles for three reasons: 1-I don't have a suitable camera and 2-I don't know how to post pictures and 3-I don't have any of those marbles on hand at this time as they have all been sent back to their owners. ----Leroy---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Marbles Posted January 6, 2014 Report Share Posted January 6, 2014 How did these big marbles get those impacts? Dropped on the sidewalk ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroy65 Posted January 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 I sure do believe that's true about dropping them on concrete. Some had to of been slammed down or dropped from a 10 story building as a few of them had fractures. I now believe all responses are true and there are most likely more explanations because now I don't believe any one explanation will cover all the reasons for them being beat up. Thank you for your responses and if you think of anything further, please post it. ----Leroy---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lstmmrbls Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 Hit marks explained; Kids (and many adults) love to play with round objects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdesousa Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 I sure do believe that's true about dropping them on concrete. Some had to of been slammed down or dropped from a 10 story building as a few of them had fractures. I now believe all responses are true and there are most likely more explanations because now I don't believe any one explanation will cover all the reasons for them being beat up. Thank you for your responses and if you think of anything further, please post it. ----Leroy---- Beat up sulphides - kids trying to get the figures out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbleus1 Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 furniture casters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godown Posted January 7, 2014 Report Share Posted January 7, 2014 Think the boys may have played cricket with this or it was just chucked at the wall numerous times 2" Found it in the dirt out back of an old home I soaked it in water for a while and still couldnt see inside its got specks of colour on the outer glass and looking in through a little widow of clear i can see blue a couple mm below the surface presumably way beyond help? Craig C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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