UnderMiner
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- Jul 27, 2014
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Was digging at one of my spots today and unearthed this big blue ceramic marble. It is 1.25 inches in size, and is the largest clay marble I have ever found.
These big salt-glazed clay marbles were made in Imperial Germany by the millions starting in the 1870's. They came in several colors with brown and blue being the most common.
Some historians say these marbles were so common in the 19th century that they were used in place of ballast in the holds of some German merchant ships.
The marbles are easy to identify as they always have two large white spots on them where they were in contact with the two other marbles that were arranged next to them during the firing process.
People call them Bennington marbles in reference to Bennington, Vermont which was renowned for its pottery, but this town never made clay marbles. There is still debate as to why people started calling them Bennington marbles.
These big salt-glazed clay marbles were made in Imperial Germany by the millions starting in the 1870's. They came in several colors with brown and blue being the most common.
Some historians say these marbles were so common in the 19th century that they were used in place of ballast in the holds of some German merchant ships.
The marbles are easy to identify as they always have two large white spots on them where they were in contact with the two other marbles that were arranged next to them during the firing process.
People call them Bennington marbles in reference to Bennington, Vermont which was renowned for its pottery, but this town never made clay marbles. There is still debate as to why people started calling them Bennington marbles.
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