Marbles
12.29.06 By Lorraine Newberry
When I first learned of the hobby of marble collectingI was surprised – I had no idea that a marble could be a collector’s item. How could one even tell them apart, I wondered. A passionate collector and dealer of marbles informed me, though, that there are indeed differences among marbles and the challenge of learning to recognize the different types of marbles is part of the fun of collecting them.
A form of marbles were around in ancient Rome, but it was in Venice in the 1700s that the glass marbles we are familiar with today were first developed. While it’s usually glass marbles that are collected, antique porcelain and clay marbles can be a valuable addition to a collection as well.
There are several books and online guides available to help a novice marble collector to tell the marbles apart (see the links below). Learning to identify marbles can be difficult, and it generally takes a good amount of study to be able to discern the small differences in patterns and colors between marbles. It is well worth the effort, however. Marble collecting is an area where a well-prepared, knowledgeable collector can find rare items for pennies. Quite often collectibles dealers who don’t specialize in marbles will fill a large plastic baggie with marbles and sell it for a couple of dollars, and it’s not unusual to discover a valuable marble in among the worthless ones.
Because marbles are made of glass, they are easy to damaged and should be stored carefully. Keeping collectible marbles bundled up together in a bag or jar can lead to scratches and chipping, which will significantly decrease the value of the marbles. There are special storage/display cases with a separate compartment for each marble, or simply wrapping each marble individually before storing will do the trick.
Related Links:
Land of Marbles identification guide
Alan’s Marble Collection identification guide
Here’s a list of guidelines for buying marbles online
Related items currently available for sale
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Article Tags: clay, glass, marbles, porcelain================
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