Alternative sorting systems?

[Chris Parson]

Maybe I'm overthinking this but I still want to ask the question.  I suppose that a logic choice would be to sort marbles by manufacturing company but are there any of you who are also sorting your marbles based on where you got them from or even who gave them to you?

[Carowill]

I sort by manufacturer.

[I'llhavethat1]

by manufacturer mainly.  Although sorting by pattern (patches, swirls, flames), or era (Handmade, transitional, machine made, modern) might make sense for some people.  Same with color combos, or Country of origin (German, Japanese, Mexican, Dutch)

[akroorka]

I sort by manufacturer, damage, type, size ,marbles that were dug, country of origin, who they came from and of course—top shelf, which is a mix. If I had more room to display I may have sorted in a different manner, I just deal with what I have and am happy for it. (less dusting for sure)
Damage on machine-mades used to be a no-no. I am seeing more and more listings on ebay that describe damage with lots that are going for a good price. A sign of the times.
When I sort for size I use a Westcott T-800 template, this is as close as I can get to what the original company used to size the marbles that they made. I sort sizes to backfill incomplete or empty boxes and do not split hairs on size.
Sort the way that suites your collecting mind, some collectors sort the same, many are different. I have a backlog of cat-eyes to sort, I am not that bored yet—soon though.
Marble—On!!
 

[Fire1981]

I have bunch of these. They are medical styrofoam trays that are used for the test tubes they draw blood in. I’ll use these and try to put together groups. Maybe a tray of corkscrews or slags. They will stack on top of each other as long the marbles are close in size.