What Is a White Alley Marble?

Material

• White alley marbles are usually made of white marble or alabaster.

Use

• White alley marbles were usually used as "shooters", or for shooting at other marbles.

Value

• White alley marbles were prized more highly than most other marbles, especially "commoneys" or marbles made of clay or plaster. ̶0;The Playground, or Out-Door Games for Boys, A Book of Healthy Recreations for Youth,̶1; a book published in 1866, suggests a white alley would be worth four commoneys.

Name

• "Alley" is short for "alley-tor". "Tor" is Celtic for "rock" or "stone", and some suggest that "alley" is a reference to alabaster.

Superstition

• A white alley was considered lucky, as it was highly prized and much envied.