Mt. Rainier and Lenticular Clouds - Dec. 2008 copyright: JMM

April 15, 2013

Marbles

Back in the early 70s, my elementary school used to hold an annual Marble Tournament.  I never participated in it, but I did play with friends at recess.  I never liked to play for keepsies because I didn't want to lose any of my small bag of them.  When I made my First Holy Communion, my aunt & uncle in New York gave me a rather large collection of marbles as a gift.  Although I didn't really pursue collecting them till I was an adult, I hung onto those marbles and never, ever used them to play. 

I have a very modest collection now, including this awesome solitaire game I scored up in Port Angeles, WA on the way to Victoria.

A maple syrup jar full of pee wees.

I have quite a few jars, glasses and vases with these more common machine mades from the 50s to the 70s.

Sulphides are among the most expensive of the antiques.  I own four of them.  This one is the best of the four and cost me about $250 off ebay.

Antique onion skin

Smaller German swirls and onionskins

Contemporary art marbles are also among my faves.


Several years ago I scored a very large and amazing collection of marbles off ebay for cheap on Christmas Day.  It included some of these unusual pieces.  



More antique onionskins and German swirls.

I made those 6 marbles on the clam shell (the flat one is half of an amber sulphide I got off ebay) in a class at The Bead Factory in Tacoma.  Mine don't really roll, so much as wobble.  


If anyone out there has a collection of marbles they don't want anymore, I'd be more than happy to take them off your hands!  ;-)

19 comments:

  1. I used to have a small collection; I wonder where it went? If I ever come across any, I know who to send them to.

    Awesome marbles JoJo!

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  2. Anonymous8:52 AM

    I have to say, JoJo, you have the best memory in all the land. "Play for keepsies." Wow. I haven't heard that since I was tiny. I forgot all about it. I LOVE that Coke marble!!! I'd play for keepsies for that LOL

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  3. Maureen - Yes I'm happy to take any marble, no matter how new or old.

    Elsie - And that's why I don't play for keepsies!!!!! lol

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  4. They remind me of paperweights. Some of those can be very valuable.

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  5. Hubs has a marble collection from the forties and fifties gathered from various antique stores over the years. I like them for their colour impact, but prefer the transparent ones.

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  6. I'm impressed you can make marbles! Nice collection you have there. I love all the brightly colored swirled ones--I did not know they were called onion skins.

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  7. Anonymous5:23 PM

    The first picture has got to be my favorite!!!

    ~Sha'
    http://stfu4abetterrelationship.wordpress.com/

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  8. We never played marbles, we played Jacks. Love your collection. I'm fascinated by the onion skin ones.

    Not that familiar with YA, I write sci-fi...but happy blog blitz to you!

    Tina @ Life is Good
    Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
    @TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge

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  9. Oh JoJo I love your collection! I love marbles too and have only one small bowl that used to be my mother's. Have to say that I never saw onionskin marbles till your post...they are gorgeous!

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  10. Anonymous7:19 PM

    Oh wow. I never knew marbles could get so large. LOL Or that there were so many different types.


    Sonia Lal

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  11. My Mum loves marbles - I'll have to check and see if she has anything special now! :D

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  12. Those are very cool. It's an impressive collection. They are like small pieces of art. My favorite is the contemporary art marble.

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  13. Wow... That is a great collection...

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  14. Wow! That is an amazing collection! We have a few marbles once, but not any more.

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  15. Thanks everyone. They truly are like little pieces of glass art. I'm always on the lookout for jars of them for sale at antique stores and junk shops.

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  16. WOW, your marbles are awesome. You have quite the collection.

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

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  17. Wow you have a lot of marbles. What an amazing collection. I never knew that their were so many different types of marbles, they are very cool.
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

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  18. You are giving me a new appreciation for glass, that's for sure. Have you ever tried glass blowing?

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  19. Wow, you sure have a lot of marbles! I love that one with the bows on it.

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