Found Marbles...need help.

[808beginnerdigger]

Found these marbles during a bottle dig at an old plantation camp called "Waialua Camp". The camp no longer exists but it was situated way up in the mountains between Haleiwa & Helemano Military Res on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. They are about 1/2 inch in diameter. Any help on the identification and how old these are would be very helpful. Mahalo & Aloha from Hawaii! Nate

[ivan salis]

the clay marbles are indeed older --the glass ones are old as well but not as much as the clay type ones .

[808beginnerdigger]

the clay marbles are indeed older --the glass ones are old as well but not as much as the clay type ones .

I have a 1938 map showing the camp. Can the clay ones be before or after 1938?
Thanks!

[ivan salis]

the clay ones can date to way before 1938 * they can go as far back at the 1700's -- the glass type were common later on late 1800's -start of 1900's era and onward --once the "pretty" glass marbles came on the scene the "plain jane" clay marbles rapidly lost favor .

[808beginnerdigger]

the clay ones can date to way before 1938 * they can go as far back at the 1700's -- the glass type were common later on late 1800's -start of 1900's era and onward --once the "pretty" glass marbles came on the scene the "plain jane" clay marbles rapidly lost favor .

Thanks Ivan... We find so much of clay ones at the camps. Thanks again for your info. It really helped out alot! Aloha! Nate

[ivan salis]

clay marbles were dirt cheap to make --many potters if the mothers bought pottery often gave the kids a handful of marbles made from pottery scrap clay * ==poor workers kids most likely had clay marbles and the better off more well to do "overseer's " kids --glass marbles -- clearly as status sort of thing to have enough money that your folks could afford to "waste money" on fancy glass marbles for you to play with. --meant you were a important "somebody" 's kid.

on the old plantations clearly there were more poor workers than rich overseers -- which accounts for the larger numbers of clay vs glass marbles -- in a plantion type area -clay marbles might have lasted on for a longer time frame due to economic reasons --