Glass Marbles Glass from
The Glass Encyclopedia

Glass Marbles: A short explanation

Marbles are small balls of colored or decorated glass which are either intended for playing the ancient game of marbles or as collector's items. They can be mass produced or hand-made. One ancient method of making colored marbles was to put a mixture of sand and charcoal into an iron mould shaped like a marble and place small pieces from glass canes into this mixture, then heat and rotate the mould to melt and fuse all the edges. The marble was polished when it was cold.

Today there are glass artists who specialise in making marbles, and their creations can be really spectacular, like the limited edition "Zebra Swallowtail" marble by Drew Fritts shown at the top of this page. Most hand-made marbles today are cut from a glass cane containing the design, and then heated and rounded. Alternatively, they may be created individually on the end of a punty rod, like making a paperweight.

If you are looking for glass marbles there are always some for sale on eBay. See what there are just now - click Glass marbles

Here are some books on marbles for collectors. Just click on the book covers or titles for more information.

• Master Glass Company Marbles: A Price, Identification and Information Guide (2016) by George Sourlis. This company's marbles were sold in bags and boxes of other major marble companies. How to identify them.
• Sell Antique Collectable Marbles on eBay (2016) Kindle Edition by Avril Harper.
• Marbles Identification and Price Guide (2012) by Robert Block. A reliable guide that has stood the test of time covering handmade and machine-made marbles of all types, including Indians, Aggies, Steelies, transitionals, M.F. Christensen & Son, Akro Agate, and more. Re-written revised edition.
• Collecting Marbles: A Beginner's Guide(2012) by Richard Maxwell. Learn how to recognize the Classic Marbles, identify the Nine Basic Marble Features, playthe Old Game of Ringer.
• Marble Mania (2011) by Stanley Block. Revised 2nd Edition, useful book for collectors.
• Marble Collectors Handbook (2007) by Robert S. Block. Very useful for identifying marble types.
• Popular American Marbles (2007) by Dean Six, Susan Metzler and Michael Johnson. Machine-made marbles made by several US companies.
• Collecting Antique Marbles: Identification and Price Guide (2004) by Paul Baumann.
• Collecting Early Machine-Made Marbles: The M. F. Christensen & Son Company and Christensen Agate Company (2003) by Robert Block.
• Marbles: Identification and Price Guide (2002) by Robert Block.
• Everett Grist's Big Book of Marbles: A Comprehensive Identification & Value Guide for Both Antique and Machine-Made Marbles (2nd Ed) (2000) by Everett Grist.
• Marble Collectors Society of America Price Guide (1985) by the Marble Collectors Society of America.

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