bumblebee Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 I moved into a new rural neighborhood recently where children play outside all day riding bikes, walking along the streams, even playing in the rain. Reminds me of my childhood. I was chatting with a group of them today while on a walk with my father and told them I had some marbles to share if they were interested. Their eyes lit up and one girl excitedly told me she thought all her bouncy balls were marbles, but she realized she did not have any actual marbles. Later I came back outside with two jugs: my commie game marbles, and my special jug of wounded placeholders. The four of them saw me with a jug under each arm and rushed over. I said they could take five from the common jug and one--any one they want--from the special jug. I told them some of the special ones were more than 100 years old. "Look how colorful they were for being so old," I said. They were excited but gave me one more glance to ask whether I was sure they could do this, then they dove in. After about 10 minutes they had all chosen. We agreed the little boy probably ended up with more than five, but nobody complained. The precocious 9-year-old girl latched on to my only sulphide, a beat-up bear(?). I told her that one was rare and more than 100 years old. Then they all dashed away to play. 30 minutes later, I heard a light knock on my door. The girl who took the sulphide had all her marbles in a small basket. She eagerly told me she had invented a game over on the dirt patch that sounded just like a real game of marbles to me: she made five holes in a big circle for the five marbles, and one big hold in the center for the sulphide, and tried to roll them all into the holes. It was such a wonderful feeling for me to be reminded of my childhood, and to realize that childhood can be much how it was in my day. For the childlike at heart, marbles are always fun and beautiful. Now my only sulphide is back where it belongs, in the wild in the hands of a child. No doubt I may have planted a few seeds today that could one day sprout into a future marble collector. Have you been able to share the joy with future generations as well? 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'llhavethat1 Posted June 11, 2021 Report Share Posted June 11, 2021 Awesome. Good on ya. I show some to my kids, nieces and nephews and explain briefly (attention span considered) and they go on their way. It's great when they come up with a creative game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 I sent some by mail with explanations to nieces and nephews. Didn't even get an acknowledgement. I don't say this bitterly ... they're good kids and have sent plenty of acknowledgement of other gifts and communications ... just saying that it was a swing and a miss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire1981 Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 I'll be making Marble Pavers with my Grand Daughter and here friends this summer. I have 10 gallons of Penny Mibs. Hand prints, names and dates and whatever else the want to do with them. They get to pick out how many marbles they can stuff in little bags we give them. Send them home with a bag of marbles and hope they do some marble Show and Tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire1981 Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 Colored concrete. No gray no way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck G Posted June 12, 2021 Report Share Posted June 12, 2021 Promoting this wonderful hobby is vital for future collectors. Every now and then i get a phone call and someone request a lecture/seminar on antique marbles. I will schedule it as requested and will always promote the hobby. I have set aside marble examples , books and materials to show and tell. I have done these over the years from the old folks homes to boy scout and schools. I love doing this when requested. This last year with the virus that his us, i had no calls but i do anticipate some here soon as things sum what get back to normal. Also after i do the marble shows here i will stick around Saturdays after the shows to teach any collectors who wish to learn more. I feel the hobby right now, that things are coming back around and many new collectors are being added to us who already collect. We as (promoters) of the hobby must steer them in the proper direction to keep their new found enthusiasm exciting. Our legacy is what we will leave behind and it must be proper. Chuck G--- 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akroorka Posted August 20, 2021 Report Share Posted August 20, 2021 I am giving this post a bump. I know that the future of marble collecting needs a bump too. Do not be ashamed of what you may collect. I have started a Pokémon marble collection. If you want kids and young adults to get excited about marbles—include some of these at your next show---that is if you can afford to. My kids are in their late 30’s and early 40’s and the last Pokémon craze had them lit up looking all around the city for whatever it was that they were looking for. Of course the grandkids were with them searching. I do not know the first thing about Pokémon but I do know that these marbles are numbered, easy to collect and find and most would qualify at 7/8”. They come in a variety of glass colors, opacities and at least two releases. I am just guessing at the manufacturer of the marbles. I wish that I could find a listing of them all. The display case is awesome and the round empty places are intended to add more marble holders from another set of selected collectable marbles. The pouches are numerous to say the least. Pokémon was even in my spell checker!!! Marketing genius!! Marble—On!!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmoozer Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 We sell antiques at local shows. I always bag up a bunch of mibs for the kids, along with a cigar box to keep them in. I give them away until gone. The look on the kids faces is priceless when getting a free gift. The parents are also appreciative for something that is physical, not a video game. hopefully someday when I sell my collection, those kids will be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmoozer Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 I remember Galen Wilcox saying he would throw marbles on playgrounds for kids to find. Living on the beach, I like to shoot marbles onto the beach with my wrist rocket. The neighborhood kids routinely wander the beach, not sure if they have found them yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 I just gave my girlfriend's sister's kid Toby a jar of marbles about a week ago. He's around 11 years old. It was a quarter sized Mason jar full of "commons". She talked to her sister a couple days later and turns out that Toby was super attached to his gift when he got home. He's been carrying it around with everywhere he goes, even sleeping with the jar! Expecting to see his brother come along with them next time they are here for a visit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 3 hours ago, schmoozer said: We sell antiques at local shows. I always bag up a bunch of mibs for the kids, along with a cigar box to keep them in. I give them away until gone. The look on the kids faces is priceless when getting a free gift. The parents are also appreciative for something that is physical, not a video game. hopefully someday when I sell my collection, those kids will be there. That's cool...I used to do the same thing with football cards years ago, put together a bunch of grab bags for kids. Every year during our Steam Engine Days festival here, I would take them down to the grounds too a friend of mine from up by Minneapolis named Dale Leitz. He's a sports memorabilia collector and seller who I have known since the mid 90's. I would always get in touch with him shortly before that weekend and ask what he needed (certain teams, players, etc.) Besides our on the side wheeling and dealing, I would take a pile of commons down too him also for bagging up. Most were giveaways, some he might toss in a flashy insert or rookie card and put a price of a dime or quarter on it. Some of the kids felt pretty proud to be able to purchase these little bags too! All in all, total fun with great rewards for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 I had this box of marbles on my desk for the past 20 or so years. Students loved to poke through them when they came into my office, especially if they were embarrassed or being chided and didn't really want to look at me. I always kept a flashlight and UV light in my desk drawer too. Many students were interested to learn about the marbles, and about collecting them. They were always surprised that marble collecting was a thing. I would often tell classes a two-minute before-the-bell story about a recent marble show or acquisition, and I'd even show them pics. They always got a kick out of it - I think they were mostly amused by how excited I got about it. On a dozen or so occasions, they brought in old family marbles for me to look at and teach them a little about. In all that time, only one marble ever went missing, that I know of. It was an 11/16" Superman. A few days before I noticed it was gone, one of my colleague's young sons (~7 years old) was in visiting and playing with them, and I recalled that he had really taken a shine to that marble. About a month later when he was visiting again, he pulled that marble out of his pocket, fessed up and apologized for taking it. So I gave it to him as a reward for his honesty and courage. 🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 Another great "feel good" story, Ric....keep them coming, folks. Great stuff 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 18 hours ago, akroorka said: The Pokeball marble storage is pretty great. My son Jake was a huge Pokemon fan. He must not have known about these or we'd of had one, or more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvrons Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 This has been a thing I have done since the second year that I started collecting marbles. We have done teaching and game playing with many kids for a few years with Ohio cub scouts jamborees. I almost always give away marbles to any and all kids at marble shows. We have done lectures on marble history and identifications at different local libraries. I did a article in the recent WVMCC newsletter about a young man, maybe eight or nine. Who I hope somedays ends up being a collector. I found him digging marbles by his self in Pennsboro WV. We have held marble tournaments at WVMCC shows year ago. Yearly promotion and education of marbles is a bylaw of the West Virginia Marble Collectors Club for over twenty years. Years ago we held drawing marbles contest and marble games in schools. But now it is almost impossible to get into the schools. All that is needed is to put marbles in the kids hands. Then teach them what to do with them. They will lay down that phone or video game to play marbles. Most of them have marbles at home but do not know what to do with them. One of the good parts is a ten cent marble has as much value to them as a $100.00 marble to a collector. Just a little effort and time can make big smiles. How do you put a price on that ? They are the future. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted August 21, 2021 Report Share Posted August 21, 2021 11 minutes ago, wvrons said: This has been a thing I have done since the second year that I started collecting marbles. We have done teaching and game playing with many kids for a few years with Ohio cub scouts jamborees. I almost always give away marbles to any and all kids at marble shows. We have done lectures on marble history and identifications at different local libraries. I did a article in the recent WVMCC newsletter about a young man, maybe eight or nine. Who I hope somedays ends up being a collector. I found him digging marbles by his self in Pennsboro WV. We have held marble tournaments at WVMCC shows year ago. Yearly promotion and education of marbles is a bylaw of the West Virginia Marble Collectors Club for over twenty years. Years ago we held drawing marbles contest and marble games in schools. But now it is almost impossible to get into the schools. All that is needed is to put marbles in the kids hands. Then teach them what to do with them. They will lay down that phone or video game to play marbles. Most of them have marbles at home but do not know what to do with them. One of the good parts is a ten cent marble has as much value to them as a $100.00 marble to a collector. Just a little effort and time can make big smiles. How do you put a price on that ? They are the future. That's just great 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittsburghMarbles Posted August 22, 2021 Report Share Posted August 22, 2021 Well Im only 33 and not even young anymore and Im usually the youngest person by far I see at marble shows and antique glass shows. I give talks to Pittsburgh glass clubs about marbles but nearly everyone is at least twice as old as me. So, to get teenagers who are addicted to 6 second tiktok videos of people farting and slapping each other interested is beyond me and then by extension to even get people my age interested I don't know how. I show my friends my collection and they usually think its cool but other than briefly thinking the glass and history is cool I highly doubt they think much more about it or would get into it. However, I have gotten one of my friends to be nominally interested into digging for antique bottles and marbles at local town dumps, so I guess that's something. Another one of my friends, I gave their 6 year old boy a bunch of common cats eyes to play with and he seems to enjoy them as I also gave him my 1990s plastic marble run connector set (whatever their actualy name was) from when I was a kid. Ive gotten a lot of older people interested in marbles though, as they have a greater attention span maybe; I dont know. Like today, I appraised some 40 year old guys collection he inherited from his grandpa and told him all of the history of his marbles (which he had freaking fantastic marbles) and he seemed to love it as I said, "most of these marbles are a very interesting and poignant part of WVs history" (I was in WV today appraising them). He gave me a couple super epic German marbles he had in return. But maybe he was mostly interested in their value as he had well over 10k of vintage WV marbles and germans. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheese Posted August 22, 2021 Report Share Posted August 22, 2021 I just had some friends visit from Arizona. They have 3 kids, 12 and younger. I had jars of marbles and the Big Book of Marbles ready for them. They got to keep and share the book and dump out the jars and keep whatever they wanted. One girl was more into it than the other 2 and she kept every shooter she could find. Every UV marble too. Each got one old beat up German handmade to keep and put in water to see it magically change to beautiful. I told them some history and showed them a few highly collectible marbles. Maybe it will stick with them. I also participate a lot on facebook groups where there is a huge influx of new collectors and proportionally bad information (and lack of information). Trying to help new collectors find answers to their questions and directing them to the real forums with archives of detailed info like this one and AAM when I can. I see familiar names from these boards on there helping out too. I guess it's part of representing the hobby and being a steward of information that others took the time to teach us. I also think (hope) that sharing so much info and photos from the Heaton digs helps draw attention to the hobby and curiosity and enthusiasm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted August 24, 2021 Report Share Posted August 24, 2021 I posted in the Lounge regarding a visit today by Patty's sister and her 2 kids. The youngest, Toby, is the one I gifted the jar of marbles to. They were here still when I got home from work, and before they left with their bounty of veggies. I said "hold on a second". I came back outside with a suprise. I told Toby that I neglected to give him a "shooter" last time and handed him a big Cats Eye. Then Emily, who is a senior this year, I surprised her with a real nice jumbo Jabo with its own little O-ring. She loves it, saying how beautiful it was. Then suddenly there was talk of playing marbles when they got home! Oh boy, I had too hurry back inside and get another shooter for her so she didn't use her nice one! Great day! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheese Posted August 24, 2021 Report Share Posted August 24, 2021 This evening my 6 year old niece and nephew are spending the night. I was out at the shop doing some work and my niece was walking around looking at the ground and talking. She is always talking, non-stop, so I wasn't paying much attention. After a while I realized she was saying "This just isn't my lucky day". I asked her why, and she said "because I can't find any marbles". I realized she was walking around in the area where I have cleaned thousands of dirty heatons and she has been finding broken marbles and bits of glass there. So when she wasn't looking, I put some pieces on the ground and stomped them in the dirt with my boot. I went back to the project I was working on and suddenly she exclaims loudly "This IS my lucky day after all! I can't believe how lucky I am!!!" Made my day, she doesn't know it. She got a few whole marbles to keep in her find. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvrons Posted August 25, 2021 Report Share Posted August 25, 2021 Lucky day for two ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmoozer Posted August 26, 2021 Report Share Posted August 26, 2021 On 8/20/2021 at 1:01 PM, akroorka said: I am giving this post a bump. I know that the future of marble collecting needs a bump too. Do not be ashamed of what you may collect. I have started a Pokémon marble collection. If you want kids and young adults to get excited about marbles—include some of these at your next show---that is if you can afford to. My kids are in their late 30’s and early 40’s and the last Pokémon craze had them lit up looking all around the city for whatever it was that they were looking for. Of course the grandkids were with them searching. I do not know the first thing about Pokémon but I do know that these marbles are numbered, easy to collect and find and most would qualify at 7/8”. They come in a variety of glass colors, opacities and at least two releases. I am just guessing at the manufacturer of the marbles. I wish that I could find a listing of them all. The display case is awesome and the round empty places are intended to add more marble holders from another set of selected collectable marbles. The pouches are numerous to say the least. Pokémon was even in my spell checker!!! Marketing genius!! Marble—On!!! Just found that same piece on eBay for $275 BIN.😱😱🤔 https://www.ebay.com/itm/254870252480?hash=item3b57736bc0:g:7csAAOSwKoFgLDOc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akroorka Posted August 26, 2021 Report Share Posted August 26, 2021 I have seen these actually sell for more than that--I just got luckey and I am sure that second hand stores and rummage sales have them at an affordable price. $275 will buy a lot of peaches. "Millions of Peaches, Peaches for me"--sorry, now that song will be stuck in all of your heads for a day or two. Marble--On!! and Peaches on for sure!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted August 26, 2021 Report Share Posted August 26, 2021 34 minutes ago, akroorka said: "Millions of Peaches, Peaches for me"--sorry, now that song will be stuck in all of your heads for a day or two. There is zero chance of that - I've never heard of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Posted August 26, 2021 Report Share Posted August 26, 2021 1 hour ago, akroorka said: I have seen these actually sell for more than that--I just got luckey and I am sure that second hand stores and rummage sales have them at an affordable price. $275 will buy a lot of peaches. "Millions of Peaches, Peaches for me"--sorry, now that song will be stuck in all of your heads for a day or two. Marble--On!! and Peaches on for sure!! Kinda remember the song itself, but something tells me that I'm glad I don't remember how it goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now