Marbles

About Vintage and Antique Marbles

Antique glass marbles are highly collectible, from handmade examples by German glassmakers of the 1800s to marbles made by machine in the early 1900s by U.S. companies like Christensen, Peltier Glass, Akro Agate, and Vitro Agate.

Marbles have been made from a variety of materials throughout the ages, such as stone (limestone, agate, and semiprecious stones), clay (which were so common at the time that they were known as “commies”), and china, although glass marbles are the most popular to collect...

Handmade marbles are especially sought by collectors, especially examples from the mid-1800s through the early 1900s, which can be identified by a pontil mark, formed when the marble was removed from the pontil rod during production.

Machine-made marbles came about during World War I when the U.S. stopped importing handmade marbles. Many collectors enjoy them because they remember playing with them as children.

German swirls, the most common handmade glass marbles, were first produced in Thuringen, Germany. There are five types of German swirl marbles. The most common, latticino core marbles, were created from the 1840s (the beginning of glass marble production) until the mid-1920s. Most cores are white or yellow.

Other German swirls have a solid core (either cylindrical or ridged), a divided core (with multiple strands in the center, most commonly 3 or 4), a ribbon core (with either a single or double ribbon), or a complex core, in which two or more variations are used within the same marble.

Other types of colored glass marbles include maypole marbles (threads swirled on or near the surface of the marble), mists (color created by overlaying glass on or near the surface of the marble), micas (colored glass with silver flakes), solid-colored swirls (such as onionskin and peppermint marbles), and opaque glass.

Lutz marbles are also sought-after by collectors for their beautiful swirls of goldstone decoration. Goldstone, glass made with copper crystals, was first discovered in Venice in the 1600s, but marbles using the material weren’t produced until the early 1900s, just before World War I.

Another popular style is the sulphide marble, which is clear with a small figure in the center. These were produced in the same location and around the same time as German swirls.

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview With Antique Marble Collector Alan Basinet

Like most kids growing up in the late ’60s, early ’70s, I played with marbles. Of course I grew out of it, but I ca… [more]

Marbles Among the Earliest Games

If we attempt to trace marbles back to the time in history when first they were devised and employed by people for … [more]

Antique Marbles of Stone, Pottery and Glass

There is amusement for children of nearly all ages in such elemental manifestations as quick motions, bright colors… [more]

An Interview With Loetz Art Glass Collector Eddy Scheepers

Loetz was a Bohemian company. It was a factory; and the region’s biggest and best glass manufacturer. There were ot… [more]

An Interview with Strathearn Art Glass Paperweight Collector Richard More

In 1998, while going through my parents' estate, my wife and I found some glassware made by Anchor Hocking between … [more]

An Interview With Art Glass Collector Reyne Haines

I started becoming interested in art glass when I moved from Texas to New York, and wanted to decorate my apartment… [more]

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Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Loetz.com

Loetz.com

This fabulous site is a guide to Bohemian art glass makers from 1885 to 1920. Loetz was the premier Bohemian glass … [read review or visit site]

Blenko Museum

Blenko Museum

This beautiful and easy-to-navigate website on Blenko art glass includes a detailed history on the company, informa… [read review or visit site]

Cloud Glass Reference Site

Cloud Glass Reference Site

Chris and Val Stewart’s impressive attempt to create a complete catalogue of all known cloud glass, a decorative … [read review or visit site]

Antiquesaltshakers.com

Antiquesaltshakers.com

This website, home of the Antique and Art Glass Salt Shaker Collector's Society, offers a beautiful photo gallery s… [read review or visit site]

Ysart Glass

Ysart Glass

Frank Andrew’s beautiful and definitive reference guide to art glass produced in Scotland by the Spanish Ysart fa… [read review or visit site]

The Charleton Line

The Charleton Line

Michael and Lori Palmer's site dedicated to the hand painted decorations of Abels, Wasserberg and Company, known as… [read review or visit site]


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Marbles: Mint 11/16" Christensen Agate Guinea Cyclone$355.00 Ends Wednesday 11 bids 48 watchers
1 1/2" Marble, Paul Stankard Rare Ant In A Squash Shell$338.33 Ends Tuesday 12 bids 30 watchers
Marbles: Handmade Art Glass Alloway Old Design# 880$310.00 Ends in 15 hours 12 bids 40 watchers
1 1/2" Marble, Mark Matthew, Rare Burnt Orange Swirl$250.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 7 watchers
Marbles: Mint 11/16" Christensen Agate Clear Guinea$223.90 Ends Wednesday 11 bids 35 watchers
Marble Christensen Agate 3 Color Flame 11/16" Marbles$208.50 Ends in 12 hours 11 bids 53 watchers
Marbles: 1-1/16" Paneled Mica Cloud Ribbon Core (pol)$197.50 Ends Tuesday 7 bids 42 watchers
Marble Vintage Akro Agate No. 230 Box Of Marbles$177.50 Ends in 12 hours 21 bids 61 watchers
Mark Matthews Huge Reverse Twist Marble$143.43 Ends Monday 13 bids 23 watchers
180+ Vintage Hand & Machine Made Marbles Germans Swirls$132.50 Ends Monday 9 bids 17 watchers
Nice Akro Agate Cardinal Red Marbles & Box No.0 $127.50 Ends Wednesday 8 bids 31 watchers
1000+ Vintage Estate Toy Marbles / Swirl, Agate $124.06 Ends in 13 hours 21 bids 19 watchers
Marbles Vitro Agate Original Woodgrain Box Set Of 67$117.50 Ends in 12 hours 14 bids 59 watchers
Beautiful Clambroth With 3 Color Stripes - 11/16"$108.50 Ends in 12 hours 13 bids 9 watchers
3 1/4" Marble, Cathy Richardson, Green Pond Frog$102.50 Ends Tuesday 2 bids 8 watchers
Beautiful Mint Onionskin Lutz Marble - 9/16"$100.00 Ends in 12 hours 4 bids 12 watchers
Marbles: Mint 1-1/32" Caramel$96.00 Ends Wednesday 7 bids 26 watchers
Marbles: Handmade Art Glass Alloway "end Of Day" # 19$93.50 Ends in 15 hours 8 bids 11 watchers
Marble Akro Agate Box Of 121 Corkscrew Marbles$91.88 Ends in 12 hours 8 bids 54 watchers
Shipwrecked Handblown Glass "window" Marble $89.99 Ends in 12 hours 1 bid 7 watchers
Original Box Of 25 Cardinal Red Akro Agates Mint$89.99 Ends Saturday 1 bid 11 watchers
Mark Matthews Inscribed Lutz Swirl 1.75" Gem$82.55 Ends in 17 hours 12 bids 11 watchers
22 Indian Submarine Handmade Pontil Marbles $81.25 Ends Monday 6 bids 22 watchers
Vintage Solitaire Board W Antique Marbles Original Box$81.09 Ends Thursday 2 bids 24 watchers
Houze Slag Glass Auto Ashtray Houzex Marbles Akro$78.77 Ends in 15 hours 12 bids 19 watchers
Marbles: Mint 21/32" Akro Orange/yellow Auger Snake$77.00 Ends Thursday 5 bids 36 watchers
***blooming Wiggle~opal Marbles By Starroots Glass***$76.00 Ends in 10 hours 2 bids 17 watchers
Beautiful Blue And Pink Ribbon Lutz Marble - 21/32"$76.00 Ends in 12 hours 5 bids 7 watchers
Marbles: Mint 5/8"+ Akro Agate Blue/yellow/orange Snake$75.00 Ends Thursday 10 bids 32 watchers
Akro Agate Hotel Edison Ashtray With Match Holder Slag$71.00 Ends in 13 hours 6 bids 24 watchers
Vintage Marble Tournament Medal Pair 1933/34 Medals Nr$69.68 Ends Thursday 4 bids 13 watchers
Marbles: Mint 11/16"+ English Solid Core$67.65 Ends Tuesday 6 bids 19 watchers
Wow Look 19 Lbs Antique/vintage Marbles Estate Find! $66.51 Ends Wednesday 10 bids 5 watchers
100 Jabo March Madness Aventurine Marbles Mint!$66.00 Ends in 14 hours 15 bids 4 watchers
Mint Handmade Marble Ribbon Core 1 7/8 Inch Stunning$65.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 5 watchers
Master Marble Sun Beam Marble Box W/ Bag & Marbles$65.00 Ends Monday 7 bids 38 watchers
***analog Captive~vortex Marbles By Starroots Glass***$62.99 Ends in 9 hours 1 bid 8 watchers
Big Jabo Tribute Last Dance Dealer's Lot-marbles$62.00 Ends Wednesday 8 bids 11 watchers
Gorgeous Multi-color Onionskin Lutz Marble - 21/32"$61.60 Ends in 12 hours 9 bids 9 watchers
Akro Agate Black Oxblood W Green Aventurine Ashtray$61.00 Ends in 12 hours 11 bids 43 watchers
19 Antique Handmade German Marbles Swirls Lutz Ribbon $59.99 Ends in 9 hours 16 bids 41 watchers
Marbles: Handmade Art Glass Alloway New Design# 877$56.50 Ends in 14 hours 7 bids 9 watchers
Marbles: Handmade Art Glass Alloway New Design# 874$56.00 Ends in 14 hours 10 bids 15 watchers
Ng-large Old German Hand Made Marble China$56.00 Ends Monday 5 bids 10 watchers
1350+ Vintage Estate Toy **cat's Eyes** Marbles $55.80 Ends in 13 hours 4 bids 13 watchers
Akro Agate Blue Oxblood Ashtray Short Tab$55.77 Ends in 12 hours 11 bids 28 watchers
Marbles: 3/4" Early Period Flowered China$52.22 Ends in 14 hours 3 bids 22 watchers
Eagle Marble Green Size 1,39 Inch$52.00 Ends in 16 hours 10 bids 22 watchers
Super Rare Akro Blue Yellow Snake Corkscrew Marbles Rt6$51.00 Ends in 12 hours 4 bids 33 watchers
Vintage Antique Marbles German, Akro, Master, Mk, More.$51.00 Ends in 10 hours 9 bids 19 watchers
Original Mesh Bag Jackson Marbles Made In 1945 Only $51.00 Ends in 10 hours 9 bids 23 watchers
1 3/4" Marble, Josh Simpson, Blue Gravitron Pull$51.00 Ends Tuesday 3 bids 19 watchers
Mark Matthews Large Blueberry Twist Marble$51.00 Ends Monday 5 bids 19 watchers
Greg Chase ~hot Rods~new Design~glass Marble 1 5/8 Inch$51.00 Ends Wednesday 2 bids 4 watchers
Marbles: 23/32" English Solid Core$51.00 Ends Tuesday 7 bids 13 watchers
Marbles Hand Made German Indian Mag Lite Antique Marble$49.99 Ends in 12 hours 1 bid 5 watchers
Ng- Old German Hand Made Marbles$49.52 Ends Monday 5 bids 13 watchers
Vintage 40's Lot Of 300+ Machine Made Marbles$46.75 Ends Tuesday 6 bids 9 watchers
Marbles: Alley Aventurine Swirl 15/16"$46.45 Ends in 11 hours 8 bids 36 watchers

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