B. Shackman & Co. Marble Imports

[Ric]

I recently acquired a box of Japanese Cat's Eyes imported by B. Shackman & Co, which began in the Flatiron Novelty District of New York City (1898-1985). They specialized in marketing novelty and gift items and were long enough lived to have experienced the boom and the bust of the American machine made marble industry, which makes them interesting to me. Daniel Shackman Jacoby (1914-2008), the grandson of founder Bertha Shackman, ran the Company for many years (ca. 1935-1985), and appears to have been actively importing machine made marbles from Europe and Asia during the time when imports of foreign marbles exploded in the late 1950s. I thought it might be fun to learn more about the company's marble offerings. Unlike major jobbers of imported marbles like Penny King, this company appears to have been interested as much in packaging and presentation as product, and it appears to have chased prices across Asia to find an exporter that could meet the needs of their seemingly limited number of marble box imports. I decided to share my efforts to learn more here since I am not getting any younger and it'll probably not be too long before I need crib-notes.

One of Shackman's imports appears to have originated in the Netherlands but was apparently packaged in Germany and imported from there. This poly-net bag was posted by @BuckEye  in 2017. The marbles are Veiligglas and dating of the bag closure, thanks to @Shamrock Marbles, suggests that the marbles could have been packaged as early as the 1960s. However, warehoused Veiligglas marbles were packaged in poly-net bags long after the company closed in 1961. Many of the bags were simply knotted, with no closure device or labeling. Perhaps @Mojo knows more about these later poly-nets.

 

Here is an example of a Shackman #4721 box I recently found (2-1/2" x 3-3/4" x 1-1/4"). The box is labelled Super Deluxe Jumbo Multi Color Marbles (Marked Japan, #4721). This is one of a few different versions of Shackman's #4721 box. I think this may be an earlier example (1960s). The marbles are a just shy of 1-3/16" (30 mm). Note that the top and sides of the lid are entirely covered by paper, which includes the graphic labeling. I am thinking that @shiroaiko might know more about this box and its contents.

 

In another Japanese version of Shackman's #4721 Super Deluxe Jumbo Multi Color Marbles box (Marked Japan, #4721) the paper label covers only the top of the lid. I think this version is later than the one above. It is also the only version of the Japanese import I have seen with 1-1/8" three-color marbles in it.

Photo from WorthPoint.

 

Next is one of Shackman's Taiwanese imports labelled SIX JUMBO Kate Greenaway Marbles (Marked Taiwan; No. 4721). The marbles are 1-1/8" and the box includes instructions for playing "Ring-taw". A recent auction description remarked, "The marbles are made in Hong Kong. Circa 1970-1975" (Block's Marble Auction #1160, Lot 361, 8/24/24). Perhaps @BobBlock will be kind enough to clarify the discrepancy between the auction description and the box label.

Screen Capture from Block's Marble Auctions.

 

Another example of the Kate Greenaway box from Pinterest.

 

What I believe is one of Shackman's last imported marble box offerings is from Hong Kong and is labeled Six Fancy Jumbo Kitty Cucumber Marbles. It was produced in 1984 (Marked Hong Kong, #40513, 1984). An example was posted by @Steph in 2007. Note that this is not a variant of the #4721 box like those above. It is smaller (3-1/8" x 2-1/8" x 1") and holds 1" marbles. But like the Kate Greenaway box from the 1970s, it too contains instructions for playing "Ring taw". 

I think Shackman also marketed a small Kitty Cucumber tin pail filled with cat's-eye marbles and instructions for game play. And throughout the 1960s-1970s they offered a variety of other imported marble-related novelties including: a Handmade Hardwood Oxbow Puzzle (Marked Japan; No. 3664), a Labyrinth Marble Maze Game (Marked Japan), and a Handcrafted Hardwood Tic-Tac-Toe Game (Marked Japan or Taiwan Rep. of China; No. 3380), to name a few.

I would like to learn more about B. Shackman & Co.'s boxed marble products, especially a timeline for their offerings, so please add any information you have!

And here's to hoping someone is sitting on a stack of Shackman's catalogues!

[Al Oregon]

Here's a picture of my Shackman box with paper label on top.

 

[Al Oregon]

Then an Oxbow Marble Puzzle Game - just for info

 

[Al Oregon]

Then a Kate Greenway (Shackman) Bucket of Marbles

 

[davesnothere]

18 minutes ago, Al Oregon said:

Then an Oxbow Marble Puzzle Game - just for info

 

Never seen one that's cool 

 

[Ric]

@Al Oregon Great additions - thanks a lot, Al. That Kate Greenaway bucket wasn't on my radar - I think the Kitty Cucumber version would be similar.

Here is one of the Tic-Tac-Toe games @Mojo posted a few years back. This one, or a very similar version, appeared in a 1974 Shackman catalogue.

[shiroaiko]

Hi Ric, I'm afraid that I can say nothing about the Shackman boxes with Japanese marbles...🙏

Why were the wirepulls not made in West Germany when the label says so? 

On 4/9/2025 at 11:15 AM, Ric said:

 

One of Shackman's imports appears to have originated in the Netherlands but was apparently packaged in Germany and imported from there. This poly-net bag was posted by @BuckEye  in 2017. The marbles are Veiligglas and dating of the bag closure, thanks to @Shamrock Marbles, suggests that the marbles could have been packaged as early as the 1960s. However, warehoused Veiligglas marbles were packaged in poly-net bags long after the company closed in 1961. Many of the bags were simply knotted, with no closure device or labeling. Perhaps @Mojo knows more about these later poly-nets.

 

 

[Ric]

7 minutes ago, shiroaiko said:

Why were the wirepulls not made in West Germany when the label says so? 

I think there is consensus that these marbles were made by Veiligglas in the Netherlands. I also think that this very packaging may be the basis for some historical anecdotes about "German wire-pulls" and German swirls". I do not really know what the thinking is about German machine-made marbles today, but I think that many, if not all, of the swirls once thought to be German are now attributed to the Dutch Veiligglas company.

I believe these marbles were made in the Netherlands, packaged in Germany, and shipped to the USA from there.

 

[Mojo]

On 3/21/2025 at 7:54 PM, Mojo said:

They are in the book of Andy McLaughlin

🎉 provided them and the pictures 👌🏻

Go Go Power Rangers 🤹‍♂️

 

On 4/9/2025 at 4:15 AM, Ric said:

I recently acquired a box of Japanese Cat's Eyes imported by B. Shackman & Co, which began in the Flatiron Novelty District of New York City (1898-1985). They specialized in marketing novelty and gift items and were long enough lived to have experienced the boom and the bust of the American machine made marble industry, which makes them interesting to me. Daniel Shackman Jacoby (1914-2008), the grandson of founder Bertha Shackman, ran the Company for many years (ca. 1935-1985), and appears to have been actively importing machine made marbles from Europe and Asia during the time when imports of foreign marbles exploded in the late 1950s. I thought it might be fun to learn more about the company's marble offerings. Unlike major jobbers of imported marbles like Penny King, this company appears to have been interested as much in packaging and presentation as product, and it appears to have chased prices across Asia to find an exporter that could meet the needs of their seemingly limited number of marble box imports. I decided to share my efforts to learn more here since I am not getting any younger and it'll probably not be too long before I need crib-notes.

One of Shackman's imports appears to have originated in the Netherlands but was apparently packaged in Germany and imported from there. This poly-net bag was posted by @BuckEye  in 2017. The marbles are Veiligglas and dating of the bag closure, thanks to @Shamrock Marbles, suggests that the marbles could have been packaged as early as the 1960s. However, warehoused Veiligglas marbles were packaged in poly-net bags long after the company closed in 1961. Many of the bags were simply knotted, with no closure device or labeling. Perhaps @Mojo knows more about these later poly-nets.

 

Here is an example of a Shackman #4721 box I recently found (2-1/2" x 3-3/4" x 1-1/4"). The box is labelled Super Deluxe Jumbo Multi Color Marbles (Marked Japan, #4721). This is one of a few different versions of Shackman's #4721 box. I think this may be an earlier example (1960s). The marbles are a just shy of 1-3/16" (30 mm). Note that the top and sides of the lid are entirely covered by paper, which includes the graphic labeling. I am thinking that @shiroaiko might know more about this box and its contents.

 

In another Japanese version of Shackman's #4721 Super Deluxe Jumbo Multi Color Marbles box (Marked Japan, #4721) the paper label covers only the top of the lid. I think this version is later than the one above. It is also the only version of the Japanese import I have seen with 1-1/8" three-color marbles in it.

Photo from WorthPoint.

 

Next is one of Shackman's Taiwanese imports labelled SIX JUMBO Kate Greenaway Marbles (Marked Taiwan; No. 4721). The marbles are 1-1/8" and the box includes instructions for playing "Ring-taw". A recent auction description remarked, "The marbles are made in Hong Kong. Circa 1970-1975" (Block's Marble Auction #1160, Lot 361, 8/24/24). Perhaps @BobBlock will be kind enough to clarify the discrepancy between the auction description and the box label.

Screen Capture from Block's Marble Auctions.

 

Another example of the Kate Greenaway box from Pinterest.

 

What I believe is one of Shackman's last imported marble box offerings is from Hong Kong and is labeled Six Fancy Jumbo Kitty Cucumber Marbles. It was produced in 1984 (Marked Hong Kong, #40513, 1984). An example was posted by @Steph in 2007. Note that this is not a variant of the #4721 box like those above. It is smaller (3-1/8" x 2-1/8" x 1") and holds 1" marbles. But like the Kate Greenaway box from the 1970s, it too contains instructions for playing "Ring taw". 

I think Shackman also marketed a small Kitty Cucumber tin pail filled with cat's-eye marbles and instructions for game play. And throughout the 1960s-1970s they offered a variety of other imported marble-related novelties including: a Handmade Hardwood Oxbow Puzzle (Marked Japan; No. 3664), a Labyrinth Marble Maze Game (Marked Japan), and a Handcrafted Hardwood Tic-Tac-Toe Game (Marked Japan or Taiwan Rep. of China; No. 3380), to name a few.

I would like to learn more about B. Shackman & Co.'s boxed marble products, especially a timeline for their offerings, so please add any information you have!

And here's to hoping someone is sitting on a stack of Shackman's catalogues!

Veiligglas on the netbags 

Found a lot similar like on the picture in an old storage with "old" toys from toystores that went bankrupt

[YasudaCollector]

Man! I have some larger cat's eyes that look just like the Taiwan and Japan cat's eyes in the Shackman boxes from those countries. 

[Ric]

@YasudaCollector Shackman's #4721 box holds big marbles (~ 1-1/8") and I think they were pretty popular here.

[Ric]

@shiroaiko B. Shackman marketed this ceramic statue of JP Buster & Kitty Cucumber playing marbles (1985). It is shown on page 14 of Yukoh Morito's book. 🙂

Photos from an Ebay auction

[shiroaiko]

Kitty Cucumber is so adorable! 🥰🫧✨ Do you enjoy the book?

[Ric]

4 hours ago, shiroaiko said:

Kitty Cucumber is so adorable! 🥰🫧✨ Do you enjoy the book?

Kitty Cucumber is not my style - way too cute for me. But I am very much enjoying Yukoh's book, especially when my attempts at translation make some sense! The pictures are interesting too. 🙂

[shiroaiko]

Do you try translating the text, word by word? Feel free to ask me for a help. I'm happy to assist. 😃🐈✨