Song from 1751 about Playing Marbles

March 27th, 2011,

Here is a cute song about playing marbles from 1751, the same year the Liberty Bell was commissioned. It's from a book of songs for children titled Puerilia by John Marchant and published in London.

The songs were intended to entertain children while teaching them a moral lesson, in this case that time spent reading books is more valuable than time spent playing marbles.

These days I fear I am spending more time with my marble collection than my books. Perhaps I will find a happy medium and read my marble books more.

Brother Tommy, come on,
Your Marbles lay down;
Don't spare me,
Nor fear me,
So long as I've one.

They are smooth, neat and round,
How they fly, frisk and bound!
I'll thump 'em
And plump 'em
While a Marble is found.

But before we begin,
Place 'em round in a Ring;
I'll fright 'em
And smite 'em
While my Thumb has a Spring.

How I spank 'em about!
Some are in and some out,
I'll smack 'em
And thwack 'em,
And soon put 'em to rout.

Now to finish the Game,
At your Taw I will aim;
I have it!
I brave it!
And Huzzah is my Name.

But 'tis Time to have done,
The Clock has struck one;
'Tis over,
Come Brother,
Now to School let us run.

For there I am sure
We shall learn a deal more,
Each looking
His Book in,
Than by playing an Hour.

You can read the original text here on Google Books.

2011 Orange County Marble Show This Weekend

March 17th, 2011,

This Saturday, March 19, is the 5th annual Orange County Marble Show.  This is the only marble show in California so don't miss this one-day opportunity to see, buy and learn about vintage and contemporary marbles!

Many talented contemporary glass artists will be selling their spherical works of art, so bring along your friends and family to this unique event. You can even bring along your marbles for a free appraisal.

The show runs from 9 - 4 PM and admission is $5. Parking is free.

2011 Orange County Marble Show

Location: Howard Johnson Hotel (formerly Anaheim Park Hotel)

Address: 222 W. Houston Ave. Fullerton, CA  92832

For further details contact Rich Shelby at 951 212 4435 or richshelby at ca.rr.com

Jewelry Organizer for One-Inch Marbles

February 19th, 2011,

In my quest to find better marble storage containers, I took a gamble and bought the Axis 3321 Stack 'em Jewelry Organizer Large Ring and Earring Tray.

At $14.99, this tray is not cheap, but it turned out to be absolutely perfect for storing and displaying those uncommon 1" marbles. Each tray measures 16 x 9.2 x 1.4 inches and is designed to stack. The 1" marbles sit deep enough to allow that.

Its 40 flocked compartments are soft and colored a neutral gray, an ideal backdrop for highlighting the marble colors. Thanks to the dips on the edges of the compartments, you can easily pick up the marbles for examination.

Part of their stacking design allows them to slide sideways, so they don't lock together in that direction. I would consider that a minus in terms of stability, but on the other hand it would allow you slide one out for a peek without having to remove the ones above. The sides also have indentations to make lifting easier.

I'm quite happy with these and will buy some more, but now I will need a storage container for them.

Contemporary Implosion Flower Marble Video

February 3rd, 2011,

Contemporary handmade marbles can be exquisite works of art, but how easy it is to forget the skill, labor and elemental fire required to produce these works of art! In this video we are shown what it takes to produce a handmade marble, in this example an "implosion flower" design. It is truly hypnotic to watch.

Check out the other great marble making videos on The Flow Magazine's YouTube Channel.

First Published Marbles Identification and Price Guide

January 13th, 2011,

I recently acquired what is reputed to be the first identification and price guide for marbles ever published, appropriately titled Marbles Identification & Price Guide, by Mel Morrison and Carl Terison.

Apparently self-published in Maine during the late 1960s, this softcover booklet contains but 18 pages. The photos are in color, however, and the descriptions are fascinating in what they do and don't describe.

All vintage marble collectors must be historians to a degree, so they should all enjoy this book for its history alone in addition to its content. It is quirky and fun.

The introduction contains a very interesting statement that gives us yet another reason to invent a time machine:

"...barely 100 people in the United States can admit to being a marble collector & boast of a sizable collection. Here is an item that can still be bought very cheaply, and yet has enough beauty to decorate any china closet. Like anything else, when more people get into the hobby, the old law of 'Supply & Demand' will prevail and prices will soar."

Keep in mind that this book was for collectors of antique handmade marbles, and while the authors do mention machine-made marbles once or twice (specifically, Marble King), they say this about them:

"These are very often mistaken for swirl marbles, because of the swirling effect running through the glass. However, a collector usually just refers to them as 'Mibs'. They aren't really collectible to an advanced collector, but are still well liked by those who can remember playing with them."

There are many other little anecdotes and descriptions in this short book that caught my eye, and I will list a few of them here. These are marble history themselves, made at time when the hobby was very young and what was lacking in facts was made up with imagination (something we still do today):

* Black Indian swirls were made in India and not for export.

* Bennington marbles were made in Bennington, Vermont, and got their spots from touching other marbles while baking.

* Lutz marbles were made by Nicholas Lutz at the Sandwich Glass factory.

Much of the quirkiness in the book exists in the fact that the authors claim to have more than 7,000 antique marbles, but they leave out certain information one would expect, while information one would not expect is there. For instance, they mention purple slags and vaseline slags but never mention any other slag colors. They dedicate half a page to a 3" polished granite 'marble' but confess it is the only one of its kind.

In other words, this book is great fun to read for any lover of marbles and their history. Scare though this book is reputed to be, I found this one quite easily and priced quite reasonably. In fact here's one for sale right now.

If any serious marble historians are reading this, I am curious to know  more about the authors Mel Morrison and Carl Terison, and about the state of their vast collection today.