I've Lost My Marbles

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Coffee Cans Full of Marbles

When I was a kid I loved marbles. Not just playing marble games, but collecting marbles. Now as a grandmother I admit that I still really enjoy marbles. Just like when I was young, every time I see marbles either in stores or at antique stores, I want to buy them all. I still remember the trips to the little country store with my mother when I got to look through the little toy section and pick out something she would buy for me. Sometimes I picked other toys, none of which I can remember. Most of the time I chose a little bag of glass marbles. I couldn't wait to get home to touch them and look at the sparkle of the cat's eye in the center or wonder at the solid colored marbles.

I had a big coffee can full of marbles when I was a child. No matter how many little pouches of marbles I bought, the quantity of marbles I had remained about the same. That's because I would play marbles games with my cousins and other friends and didn't win as often as I would have liked. Some of our favorite marbles were the "shooters". Our best "shooters" were what we called "steelies". These were actually not marbles at all, and were not all that easy to come by. They were large sized ball bearings that we were lucky enough to have brought to us by family members who worked where they were used. Winning a "steelie" from an opponent was a big victory. Losing one was a hard loss.

I don't remember what happened to that can of marbles as I grew up. Probably I gave it to one of my younger cousins or friends. I may have outgrown them for awhile, but they never totally left my mind.

When my own children were young I could rarely find marbles in the toy sections of any of the major stores we shopped in. The few times I did, they were in much larger quantities and out of our meager budget to buy at the time. Gone were the days of the little pocket sized drawstring bags of marbles.

A couple of years ago while looking at the toys at Walmart, I happened upon a box of marbles. This time I gave in and bought it. Selfishly, maybe, because these marbles were not going to be for my grandkids to play with, although I have allowed it once in awhile with supervision. I know these are not the marbles of days gone by. Those marbles are long gone, along with the years. I don't know if I will ever add to my marble collection, but I do enjoy looking at the ones I have now. Today the few marbles I have are kept in a plastic ice cream tub. It's not anywhere close to the collection I had as a child. But it's kinda nice to have around. I still enjoy how they feel in my hands and how they sound when I stir them up with my fingers. Is it a guilty little pleasure? Who knows? But I know that since marbles still find themselves in antique stores, and marbles are still online to be purchased in a myriad of locations, I am not the only adult who has lost their marbles over marbles.

I hope you enjoy this lens, and if you are a marble-lover like I am, maybe you will find something interesting here.

A Little History

How Marbles Got Their Start

There are a variety of articles online about the history of marbles and where the games of marbles actually got started. Some say Egypt, others say Pakistan, or the Orient. I've created a listing of websites that tell about the various histories of marbles and the games of marbles. It's hard to say which ones are the most accurate.

No matter where the games and the actual marbles originated, apparently for the USA, the largest manufacturing area for marbles is in Akron, Ohio. The Akron Marbles Company website lists 25 different manufacturing companies of marbles in the Akron area.

Keep watching this lens as I will add more history and interesting facts about marbles as time goes on. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the history links I've added here.

Interesting Marble Facts

Akron Marbles
The Akron Marbles Company was mentioned in the Wikipedia article about the history of marbles. Apparently Akron, Ohio is a large producer of marbles with a history of many companies and individuals over the years. This website alone lists 25 manufacturers of marbles in the Akron, Ohio area.
Toy Marbles: History and Varieties
A very interesting website about the history of toy marbles and games.
History of Marbles
A short history article.
Marbles History
More interesting marble history.
Marbles History and Game Rules History
A brief account of the beginning of marbles games.
Games: Marbles
A short history

For More Information...

Marbles have an interesting history and background.


For more information about marbles you can look here

Marble Collectibles on Amazon

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Price Guides for Marble Collectors

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YouTube

How To Play Marbles
by Howcast | video info

162 ratings | 201,913 views
automatically generated by YouTube

Marble Games Online

This listing is for games you can play online that have marbles as at least part of the game. These are strictly computer games rather than games you hold marbles physically in your hands.
Free Marble Games Online
Online Marble Games
Marble Popper Games
Online Marble Games
Marble Lines on Mindjolt Games
Online Marble Games
Marble Games for Kids Online
Online Marble Games

Marble Games on Amazon

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How To Play Marbles Games

This list is for instructions on various types of marble games. There are many ways to play marble games. This listing is just a few of them.
How To Play Marbles
Step-by-step instructions with illustrations
Traditional Marble Games
A listing of marble games and how they are played along with a bit of history of marbles.
Marble Games
A listing of marble games with instructions.

Antique Marbles on eBay

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Cool Photos of Marbles on Flickr

Marbles by AJ Batac
Marbles by AJ Batac
Marbles by AJ Batac
I think i might have lost my by Natashi Jay
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Elgin Marbles @ British Museum by arkadyrose
Tigger and Winnie the Pooh YOLO! by kevin dooley
Eyes of the Cat  . . . ( my old Cat's Eye marble collection in an antique jar ) by jumpinjimmyjava
Baby's grave by Anita Dalton
Closer look at cross on broken base by Anita Dalton
Intent on marbles by drewzuckerman
P4051555 by Matt Lancashire
B2L2 MARCH 23 by dsb nola
Lost My Marbles by katerha
Devils Marbles Australia by samandrjane
automatically generated by Flickr

Your Marble Stories

This is the place to share your stories about how marbles were a part of your life, if they were part of your life. Did you play marble games as a child? Do you collect marbles now? What are your favorite memories about marbles?

My Lenses

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Guestbook Comments

  • webkangaroo Feb 29, 2012 @ 10:55 pm | delete
    Good lens! Hope you find them...

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Capirani

I am a mother of 2 and grandmother of 8. I am medically retired and learning to enjoy life a whole new way from what I was accustomed to. I love photo... more »

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