Tips for starting a collection?

[MeSurprise]

Hi! 
I’m very very new to this. I was given some marbles recently and I’ve fallen in love! 
I was wondering the best ways to find marbles and good ones to look for to start a collection? Obviously online shopping, but I really enjoy a hunt! 
Also ideas for holders/display cases etc? I have small children so I’ll have to be sure to keep them safe. 
Buying the more rare ones is a bit out of my budget at the moment, but I think I want to try to go for a rounded collection. One of each kind if you will. 

All advice is appreciated! Thank you! 

[Melissa]

I’m pretty new at this yet. I’ve only been collecting since the fall. I purchased a lot of large lots through Craigslist (I put a want ad up), local antique and resale store, and now I purchase mostly on eBay. I scored most of my rare ones on eBay due to poor photos by the sellers. Sometimes you just get lucky. As I see more marbles, I get a better idea of which are the more common/less collectible ones. It’s taken me awhile to figure this out though. Now of course my eyes are gravitating towards the more spendy ones. 🤣

[MeSurprise]

2 hours ago, Melissa said:

I’m pretty new at this yet. I’ve only been collecting since the fall. I purchased a lot of large lots through Craigslist (I put a want ad up), local antique and resale store, and now I purchase mostly on eBay. I scored most of my rare ones on eBay due to poor photos by the sellers. Sometimes you just get lucky. As I see more marbles, I get a better idea of which are the more common/less collectible ones. It’s taken me awhile to figure this out though. Now of course my eyes are gravitating towards the more spendy ones. 🤣

Thanks! 
I live in a pretty antique-shop heavy area, I checked some out but so far nothing. I’m sure the people around here really know what they’re doing lol! 

[Melissa]

6 minutes ago, MeSurprise said:

Thanks! 
I live in a pretty antique-shop heavy area, I checked some out but so far nothing. I’m sure the people around here really know what they’re doing lol! 

The bad part about antique shops it the majority of vendors don't know what they have so they ask an insane amount for their clearies and game pieces.  You try to talk them down to get the value of a specific marble in the jar you have your sights on, but they are insistent that their garbage marbles are worth $50 a jar.  It's pretty frustrating.  

[MeSurprise]

Just now, Melissa said:

The bad part about antique shops it the majority of vendors don't know what they have so they ask an insane amount for their clearies and game pieces.  You try to talk them down to get the value of a specific marble in the jar you have your sights on, but they are insistent that their garbage marbles are worth $50 a jar.  It's pretty frustrating.  

So basically…. I just have to get lucky and hope someone doesn’t know what they have? 😂😂

brb going to set up and eBay account… 😂

[Melissa]

Just now, MeSurprise said:

So basically…. I just have to get lucky and hope someone doesn’t know what they have? 😂😂

brb going to set up and eBay account… 😂

Never, EVER, trust a seller.  When in doubt, post pictures here and we'll try to help.  

[Melissa]

Sometimes you get lucky because sellers don't know what they have.

Sometimes you get ripped off because sellers don't know what they have.

[Kimbernugs]

5 hours ago, Melissa said:

Never, EVER, trust a seller.  When in doubt, post pictures here and we'll try to help.  

Amen! When I first started collecting back in '06 or '07, I saw a pretty marble at an antique store. It wasn't killer, but I thought it had nice colors. The guy at the booth told me he'd give me a "special" cash price of $55. It was a Mega something or other that sold for like $5 for a bag full of them. He also told me that it was called a "Cub Scout" and it got that name because Girl Scouts sold cookies and Cub Scouts sold marbles. There was just so much misinformation contained in that one little conversation. And here's the kicker - I ALMOST BOUGHT THE MARBLE! Luckily I decided to do a little research and check with a few forums first. A few mins of research saved me tons of $$. 

[akroorka]

I went toe to toe with an Antiques Roadshow dude back many years ago over a nice big "Antique German" with some damage.

They get on that show as appraisers for a reason--killer negotiators.

I knew more than he did about marbles for sure---- I backed away and learned a bunch--he never flinched--not once.

I will bet to this day that he dropped the price after we met.

( I still flinch--just not as much--lol).

Live and learn---

Marble--On!!

[PittsburghMarbles]

The best way to learn is to go to marble shows and then you can also get a decent grip on pricing from them as well. 

[Chad G.]

Always collect what you like, the only you you have to make happy is you, no matter the value placed on the marble  

[wvrons]

If you are ever going to resell any marble in one year or twenty five years, condition is number one.  You might be able to buy a fractured Golden Rebel for $10.00 or $25.00 .  Which mint range are normally $500.00-$700.00. But when you or someone tries to sell that fractured one it will still be $10.00 or $25.00 or less. The majority of todays collectors do not want place holders until they get a better one. I started that way but those days are gone.  Collectors today have free information every where, and good information if you search enough.  I was told early on over twenty five years ago. To buy the best quality that I could afford and the price or value would not drop. I was also told that the amount does not make a good collection. Quality makes a good collection.  After over twenty five years I have learned. That In many ways one $100.00 marble is better than ten $10.00 marbles.  When I am ready to sell that $100.00 marble, I sell one marble, one time and to one person.  The $100.00 marble is far more likely to hold its value over many years or increase, than the ten $10.00 marbles. I was told by all this by several old experienced collectors. Did I take their advice, no.  I had to have numbers and examples of everything.  But after 10-15 years of that, I realized they were correct.  I carried fifty pounds each of marbles in two or three tote bins up stairs to rooms at marble shows. The guy who carried two pistol cases of marbles up the same stairs left with more money from sales than I did. 

Buy what you like. Buy what you can afford. But do not buy, what you do not know.  Unless you have plenty of money to gamble with.  I have looked at four different groups of marbles here locally, from 50 marbles to 50 quarts this last three weeks.  Each and every one of those people paid from three times, ten times or twenty times more than what the marbles were worth. One man paid $300.00 for the 50+ quarts. The best marbles in the entire group were 11 Vitro Blackies, at about $2.00 each.  But he thought that he had hit the jackpot and $3000.00 worth of marbles. Again I had to disappoint four more people with the fact, they lost a lot of money. Now they will probably try to take advantage of some other person who knows nothing about marbles and their values. Or lose their money which most do not like to do. The cycle continues.  

Learn and buy. It can be expensive to buy and learn later. Learning marbles today can be free. But it will not be fast or easy. But marbles can have many different rewards.  One of the best are  the people all along the way.  

[eric L]

20 hours ago, MeSurprise said:

Hi! 
I’m very very new to this. I was given some marbles recently and I’ve fallen in love! 
I was wondering the best ways to find marbles and good ones to look for to start a collection? Obviously online shopping, but I really enjoy a hunt! 
Also ideas for holders/display cases etc? I have small children so I’ll have to be sure to keep them safe. 
Buying the more rare ones is a bit out of my budget at the moment, but I think I want to try to go for a rounded collection. One of each kind if you will. 

All advice is appreciated! Thank you! 

Hi, Consider me a me too! Michaels Craft store has decent plastic compartment organizers by the brand Simply Tidy. ebay has plastic organizers. I get the 15 compartment one's. Caveat: the shooter marbles won't fit. If you go to Michaels, take along a shooter marble. You can always purchase their mason jars for the one's that don't appeal in your collection but don't want to throw out. I call those the red-headed stepchild.

[eric L]

8 minutes ago, wvrons said:

If you are ever going to resell any marble in one year or twenty five years, condition is number one.  You might be able to buy a fractured Golden Rebel for $10.00 or $25.00 .  Which mint range are normally $500.00-$700.00. But when you or someone tries to sell that fractured one it will still be $10.00 or $25.00 or less. The majority of todays collectors do not want place holders until they get a better one. I started that way but those days are gone.  Collectors today have free information every where, and good information if you search enough.  I was told early on over twenty five years ago. To buy the best quality that I could afford and the price or value would not drop. I was also told that the amount does not make a good collection. Quality makes a good collection.  After over twenty five years I have learned. That In many ways one $100.00 marble is better than ten $10.00 marbles.  When I am ready to sell that $100.00 marble, I sell one marble, one time and to one person.  The $100.00 marble is far more likely to hold its value over many years or increase, than the ten $10.00 marbles. I was told by all this by several old experienced collectors. Did I take their advice, no.  I had to have numbers and examples of everything.  But after 10-15 years of that, I realized they were correct.  I carried fifty pounds each of marbles in two or three tote bins up stairs to rooms at marble shows. The guy who carried two pistol cases of marbles up the same stairs left with more money from sales than I did. 

Buy what you like. Buy what you can afford. But do not buy, what you do not know.  Unless you have plenty of money to gamble with.  I have looked at four different groups of marbles here locally, from 50 marbles to 50 quarts this last three weeks.  Each and every one of those people paid from three times, ten times or twenty times more than what the marbles were worth. One man paid $300.00 for the 50+ quarts. The best marbles in the entire group were 11 Vitro Blackies, at about $2.00 each.  But he thought that he had hit the jackpot and $3000.00 worth of marbles. Again I had to disappoint four more people with the fact, they lost a lot of money. Now they will probably try to take advantage of some other person who knows nothing about marbles and their values. Or lose their money which most do not like to do. The cycle continues.  

Learn and buy. It can be expensive to buy and learn later. Learning marbles today can be free. But it will not be fast or easy. But marbles can have many different rewards.  One of the best are  the people all along the way.  

I remember my dad saying, the item is only worth what someone is willing to pay. I stopped selling to dealers (in re baseball cards). My brother will get my stuff and I will beyond caring. re. marbles, I collect what is eye-appealing like some Jabos and Mega Marbles and certain color combination(s). I don't chase on ebay. I rarely buy anything over $15. That being said, after a month and change of collecting, I have marbles that I enjoy looking at in the kitchen when I make my espresso in the morning. They are contained in plastic organizers.

[eric L]

5 hours ago, Chad G. said:

Always collect what you like, the only you you have to make happy is you, no matter the value placed on the marble  

Totally agree! I like some of those Jabos with aventurine and oxblood. I like Mega Marbles. I know they aren't rare but hey I'm out to please me. I let some of the ebay sellers know I'm new and they sometimes include an extra marble. If it doesn't fit in my collection, I place it in a mason jar.

[eric L]

20 hours ago, MeSurprise said:

Hi! 
I’m very very new to this. I was given some marbles recently and I’ve fallen in love! 
I was wondering the best ways to find marbles and good ones to look for to start a collection? Obviously online shopping, but I really enjoy a hunt! 
Also ideas for holders/display cases etc? I have small children so I’ll have to be sure to keep them safe. 
Buying the more rare ones is a bit out of my budget at the moment, but I think I want to try to go for a rounded collection. One of each kind if you will. 

All advice is appreciated! Thank you! 

You fell in love and fell down the rabbit hole. Welcome to the club! 😄

[eric L]

5 hours ago, PittsburghMarbles said:

The best way to learn is to go to marble shows and then you can also get a decent grip on pricing from them as well. 

Someone else from Pittsburgh? I'm in the Sq Hill area.

[eric L]

13 hours ago, Melissa said:

I’m pretty new at this yet. I’ve only been collecting since the fall. I purchased a lot of large lots through Craigslist (I put a want ad up), local antique and resale store, and now I purchase mostly on eBay. I scored most of my rare ones on eBay due to poor photos by the sellers. Sometimes you just get lucky. As I see more marbles, I get a better idea of which are the more common/less collectible ones. It’s taken me awhile to figure this out though. Now of course my eyes are gravitating towards the more spendy ones. 🤣

No! don't jump at the expensive one's until you get the eye-appealing one's like Jabo's that are affordable. You might burn out. I started in mid-Feb. Yeah, you are right re. one's that look nice under the right light and then you bid or buy and get it in the mail and it's meh. Keep a flashlight handy too or look at them in the kitchen light. If I can walk around with a bright light, I'd have more dates for the weekend.

[Carowill]

1 hour ago, wvrons said:

If you are ever going to resell any marble in one year or twenty five years, condition is number one.  You might be able to buy a fractured Golden Rebel for $10.00 or $25.00 .  Which mint range are normally $500.00-$700.00. But when you or someone tries to sell that fractured one it will still be $10.00 or $25.00 or less. The majority of todays collectors do not want place holders until they get a better one. I started that way but those days are gone.  Collectors today have free information every where, and good information if you search enough.  I was told early on over twenty five years ago. To buy the best quality that I could afford and the price or value would not drop. I was also told that the amount does not make a good collection. Quality makes a good collection.  After over twenty five years I have learned. That In many ways one $100.00 marble is better than ten $10.00 marbles.  When I am ready to sell that $100.00 marble, I sell one marble, one time and to one person.  The $100.00 marble is far more likely to hold its value over many years or increase, than the ten $10.00 marbles. I was told by all this by several old experienced collectors. Did I take their advice, no.  I had to have numbers and examples of everything.  But after 10-15 years of that, I realized they were correct.  I carried fifty pounds each of marbles in two or three tote bins up stairs to rooms at marble shows. The guy who carried two pistol cases of marbles up the same stairs left with more money from sales than I did. 

Buy what you like. Buy what you can afford. But do not buy, what you do not know.  Unless you have plenty of money to gamble with.  I have looked at four different groups of marbles here locally, from 50 marbles to 50 quarts this last three weeks.  Each and every one of those people paid from three times, ten times or twenty times more than what the marbles were worth. One man paid $300.00 for the 50+ quarts. The best marbles in the entire group were 11 Vitro Blackies, at about $2.00 each.  But he thought that he had hit the jackpot and $3000.00 worth of marbles. Again I had to disappoint four more people with the fact, they lost a lot of money. Now they will probably try to take advantage of some other person who knows nothing about marbles and their values. Or lose their money which most do not like to do. The cycle continues.  

Learn and buy. It can be expensive to buy and learn later. Learning marbles today can be free. But it will not be fast or easy. But marbles can have many different rewards.  One of the best are  the people all along the way.  

It’s true in almost any kind of collection (coins, stamps, marbles, etc.), the high end items tend to keep their value over time more than the inexpensive.  

[Kimbernugs]

I just bought this display off Amazon. I had to have something with a glass cover as I have cats, which make it impossible for me to just have open shelving. Plus dust. I bought a bunch of rubber washers to use as stands.

[PittsburghMarbles]

On 3/31/2023 at 8:41 PM, wvrons said:

If you are ever going to resell any marble in one year or twenty five years, condition is number one.  You might be able to buy a fractured Golden Rebel for $10.00 or $25.00 .  Which mint range are normally $500.00-$700.00. But when you or someone tries to sell that fractured one it will still be $10.00 or $25.00 or less. The majority of todays collectors do not want place holders until they get a better one. I started that way but those days are gone.  Collectors today have free information every where, and good information if you search enough.  I was told early on over twenty five years ago. To buy the best quality that I could afford and the price or value would not drop. I was also told that the amount does not make a good collection. Quality makes a good collection.  After over twenty five years I have learned. That In many ways one $100.00 marble is better than ten $10.00 marbles.  When I am ready to sell that $100.00 marble, I sell one marble, one time and to one person.  The $100.00 marble is far more likely to hold its value over many years or increase, than the ten $10.00 marbles. I was told by all this by several old experienced collectors. Did I take their advice, no.  I had to have numbers and examples of everything.  But after 10-15 years of that, I realized they were correct.  I carried fifty pounds each of marbles in two or three tote bins up stairs to rooms at marble shows. The guy who carried two pistol cases of marbles up the same stairs left with more money from sales than I did. 

Buy what you like. Buy what you can afford. But do not buy, what you do not know.  Unless you have plenty of money to gamble with.  I have looked at four different groups of marbles here locally, from 50 marbles to 50 quarts this last three weeks.  Each and every one of those people paid from three times, ten times or twenty times more than what the marbles were worth. One man paid $300.00 for the 50+ quarts. The best marbles in the entire group were 11 Vitro Blackies, at about $2.00 each.  But he thought that he had hit the jackpot and $3000.00 worth of marbles. Again I had to disappoint four more people with the fact, they lost a lot of money. Now they will probably try to take advantage of some other person who knows nothing about marbles and their values. Or lose their money which most do not like to do. The cycle continues.  

Learn and buy. It can be expensive to buy and learn later. Learning marbles today can be free. But it will not be fast or easy. But marbles can have many different rewards.  One of the best are  the people all along the way.  

Yes, that’s the best info anyone can get. I learned that lesson before marbles when I collected only bottles. Buy the best you can afford and don’t waste your time and money on cheap common bottles/marbles.  
 

With marbles I’ll spend 20 bucks on a jar if there’s 120 bucks of marbles in them. But I don’t buy a 50 dollar jar if there’s 25 2 dollar marbles in it.
 

I still want examples of most of the companies marbles and with jars over years you can do that and sometimes you’ll find amazing stuff in them. But I only buy jars if they are around 10-20 bucks; unless there’s something really stellar and mint in it.
 

I have a lot of luck with jars as I live only a couple of hours away from most of the historic marble factories but still rarely find a very expensive mint marble in jars, like marbles over 100-200 dollars each. 
 

Also, like I said before; go to marble shows and spend your money there. You’ll find loads of marbles for way way cheaper than you’ll find on eBay. I buy on eBay, but good cheapish finds are hard to come by and you’ll have to search for a long time.

You definitely won’t find a good deal on stuff from the main marble sellers. If you buy from some of the big marble sellers on eBay, you’ll pay 4 times or more as much as the marble is actually worth. 

 

 

[Dave 13]

On 3/31/2023 at 1:29 PM, PittsburghMarbles said:

The best way to learn is to go to marble shows and then you can also get a decent grip on pricing from them as well. 

Then add on the price of gas , and the miles put on your vehicle ,and the cost of the motel room ,then tell me how much money you saved buying marbles at the show ? 

[Dave 13]

On 3/31/2023 at 6:41 PM, wvrons said:

If you are ever going to resell any marble in one year or twenty five years, condition is number one.  You might be able to buy a fractured Golden Rebel for $10.00 or $25.00 .  Which mint range are normally $500.00-$700.00. But when you or someone tries to sell that fractured one it will still be $10.00 or $25.00 or less. The majority of todays collectors do not want place holders until they get a better one. I started that way but those days are gone.  Collectors today have free information every where, and good information if you search enough.  I was told early on over twenty five years ago. To buy the best quality that I could afford and the price or value would not drop. I was also told that the amount does not make a good collection. Quality makes a good collection.  After over twenty five years I have learned. That In many ways one $100.00 marble is better than ten $10.00 marbles.  When I am ready to sell that $100.00 marble, I sell one marble, one time and to one person.  The $100.00 marble is far more likely to hold its value over many years or increase, than the ten $10.00 marbles. I was told by all this by several old experienced collectors. Did I take their advice, no.  I had to have numbers and examples of everything.  But after 10-15 years of that, I realized they were correct.  I carried fifty pounds each of marbles in two or three tote bins up stairs to rooms at marble shows. The guy who carried two pistol cases of marbles up the same stairs left with more money from sales than I did. 

Buy what you like. Buy what you can afford. But do not buy, what you do not know.  Unless you have plenty of money to gamble with.  I have looked at four different groups of marbles here locally, from 50 marbles to 50 quarts this last three weeks.  Each and every one of those people paid from three times, ten times or twenty times more than what the marbles were worth. One man paid $300.00 for the 50+ quarts. The best marbles in the entire group were 11 Vitro Blackies, at about $2.00 each.  But he thought that he had hit the jackpot and $3000.00 worth of marbles. Again I had to disappoint four more people with the fact, they lost a lot of money. Now they will probably try to take advantage of some other person who knows nothing about marbles and their values. Or lose their money which most do not like to do. The cycle continues.  

Learn and buy. It can be expensive to buy and learn later. Learning marbles today can be free. But it will not be fast or easy. But marbles can have many different rewards.  One of the best are  the people all along the way.  

What’s a fractured blue galaxy worth ? 
I’ve seen damaged golden rebels sell for way more then $10 /$25 next time you see one for $10 let me know il buy them at that price all day long and make 10 fold selling them lol 

[wvrons]

A fractured Blue Galaxy is worth nothing to me. But every collector is different and every collection is different. I try to not sell a fractured marble. Some people has talked me into selling them a fractured Champion furnace marble. But I don't do that regular. Every collector draws a line someplace of what damage they will accept or not. I have had more than my share of damaged marbles . I have buckets of them now. I am to a point that I don't need any more damaged marbles.  I guess maybe the tip for starting a collection is buy everything you can of anything you like. Then learn what you have bought and its value. Most of us did it, but were disappointed later. Twenty years ago old time collectors told me don't buy damaged and especially fractured marbles. But I did it anyway. I had to learn from my own mistakes and pay for my own mistakes. But I cannot blame any collector or seller, because they told me their experience. So I just pass it along, just like they did.  Being a strictly collector never ever selling a marble, or a collector/dealer, or a dealer only.  Will affect what you buy.  Getting caught up in the name game will affect what you buy.  Buying marbles or buying names. In the end each person will buy what they can, that they want. If it is a good buy or a bad buy. Some can offer a million dollars for a collection, but most of us cannot.  So we pick and choose. That choice is up to each individual. To start a collection, buy marbles, but the collection and what you buy will change with time.