Now I am Curious

[Mr Ripley]

I have only posted one marble on this forum, primarily because it is the only one I have dug. Reading the various threads on this board have sparked my curiosity.

I do not seem to have much luck at finding them at the dump, but I have been known to haunt many area antique shops. Clays seem to go for much more than I feel they are worth, but I see many glass marbles thrown randomly into jars and sold as a lot.

Here is my newbie question. How can I tell a vintage glass marble from a modern imported one? I have been around long enough to know that these dealers are very savvy, and I am sure 99% of what I see in inexpensive lots are worthless. But what do I need to look for to catch someone napping? Are there any on line resources that will help me learn?

Thanks very much,

Mr R

 

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[duffytrash]

best way to learn marbles is to go to a marble show...you can look a thousands of pictures but to positively id from a picture is hard especially for a newbi....theres lots of marble shows around the country and youll find youre close to one....join a marble club or attend a meeting.....theres books too but they are all in all confusing....american machine made marbles by six johnson and metzler is the best available isbn 0-7643-2464-0 is by far the best..itll tell you the history of the companies and certain nuances of the types...the forums on line used to be informitive but theres lots of personality conflicts which sometimes get in the way...land of marbles is a good place for new marbles ....they dont let the arguments boil over to distractions...antique stores are usually a bad place to get marbles...vendors usually over pay for them and over charge so its a crap shoot there....flea mkts and yard sales sometimes you can get a deal but you can still get screwd if you haint careful....look at marbles on ebay but those are sometimes mis ided and can confuse....look for sellers with good feedback and read their feedback...theres honest sellers there...look for marble alan and vintagemarbles theyre top notch....if you can get a quart of marbles for 10-20 $ youll do ok...look for pretty ones...solid colors cateyes and clearies are a dime a dozen so steer clear of those...its not somerthing you can learn overnight..theres veterans that still get took on some marbles but just dont spend too much and youll be ok....it fun and a great hobby....

 

[Monty]

I use to check garage sales for real agate marbles. But now I am unable to find any at all. Most of the marbles made in the last 40 years are glass and a dime a dozen. My mother tossed my collection when I was overseas in the service along with my baseball cards. It cost me about $30,000 to go help Uncle Sam for a year and a half in Libya! Of course Mom thought they were just toys so I don't hold a grudge. I collected only agates and only rookie cards with autographs. My Mickey Mantle alone was appraised at $3,000 and that was in the early 1960s! I had nearly a thousand assorted agate marbles but never had them appraised. Sigh, water under the bridge. Monty

 

[Marbleguy]

Associate dug marbles with era 'markers'..

It's good that you're digging a dump site that has only broken glass. That means the dump is old enough that all the tin cans have rusted away. This leaves only glass,ceramics and metals such as brass and copper. If it's a large dump like the one I'm working now I identify commercial from residential dumpings. So if I come across what remains of hundreds of beer and other liquor bottles I know to move to a residential dumpsite. That'll be covered with a myridicity of broken glass,broken ceramic plates,mugs,etc. Digging down thru a residential dumpsite I find old bones from the butcher shop of cattle,sheep,pigs,etc I know I'm within inches of finding old marbles. It's amazing what women swept up off the floors of their homes. In all my diggings I keep a sharp eye out for broken pieces of green,pink and tan Depression glass. And 1930s McKee jadite glass. I've got buckets filled with broken pieces of Akro Agate girls' playtime tea set glassware. If I've dug down that far that I'm finding this stuff and marbles with it I know they're old marbles. And to me they're all collectible.

 

[Mr Ripley]

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses.

Actually, the learning curve and the research that goes into expanding into a new hobby is as interesting and fun as the finds themselves. At least that how it is for me.

It is also comforting to know you have some knowledgeable folks to fall back on if you get stumped!

I appreciate your expertise,

Mr R