Hobbies And Interests
Logo Marbles
Logo marbles were glass marbles with advertising logos, cartoon characters or famous people printed on their surface. Logo marbles were offered both for sale and as free advertising premiums. Logo marbles are highly collectible, and, depending on their logo and condition, can be worth several hundred dollars. Some of the most valuable were manufactured by the Peltier Glass Company in the 1920s. Most of them featured characters from popular comic strips as subject matter.
German Swirl Marbles
German Swirl marbles were handmade glass marbles first manufactured in Germany in the 1820s. German swirl marbles fall into five categories, distinguished by the patterns of the glass used within the marble's core. Atticino marbles had thin, curving bands of colored glass and "ribbons" had ribbon-like strands of colored glass. The other types were solid core, divided core and complex core marbles, which used two or more of the other types.
Sulphide Marbles
Sulphide marbles are clear glass with small porcelain figures such as animals, buildings, and historical figures inside. Sulphide marbles were named by early marble collectors who mistakenly believed the figurines inside were made from sulphur. As with logo marbles, sulphide marbles can be highly collectible and valuable if it encases a desirable figurine.
Agate Marbles
Agate marbles were made from agate stone, a type of quartz, which was typically cut and polished to highlight the stone's naturally occurring bands of color. As marbles became more popular into the 1920s and 1930s, marble makers began to use the term agate to refer to all types of marbles, even if they were not made from stone. True agate marbles often have a bull's eye or cat's eye appearance. Cat's eye marbles, bull's eye marbles, aggie, and snots are all common names for agate marbles.
Clay Marbles
Clay marbles are handmade from earthenware clay or ceramic. They may be colored, painted, glazed or unglazed, mass manufactured or homemade. Because they were made from such fragile material, clay marbles can be quite rare and difficult to find. Collectors also refer to clay marbles as clayies, commies and clayeyes.