About Marbles

Identification

• Marbles are very easy to identify and most people have at least seen a marble even if they have not had a chance to play with one. Marbles are spherical and come in various sizes, though most are very small and sold with others in small bags. They can be made of glass, clay or another similar material, though most marbles sold today are made of thick glass. Marbles come in a variety of colors and designs chosen by the artists who designed them.

Size

• Marbles come in a variety of different sizes. The majority of all marbles, no matter what they are made of, are about 1/2 inch in diameter. This makes marbles highly portable in large groups, which is typically how they are used in games. Marbles do range from 1/4 inch in diameter to 3 inches in diameter. Sometimes a marble is made for artistic purposes only and these are generally much larger, with a diameter of around 12 inches.

History

• Marbles are mentioned in literature coming from the Roman era and they were also found in ancient Egyptian archaeological sites. These ancient marbles were typically made of stone or clay, unless glass was readily available. In the 1870s, marbles were mass produced, making them inexpensive and easy to find. In the early twentieth century an invention known as the marble scissor was used to increase the production of glass marbles in the Unites States. Today, the U.S. is the top producer of marbles worldwide.

Types

• There are many different types of marbles, categorized by the material they are made of and also by the type of artistic aspects to them. The wavy patters found on some marbles, for example, typify alley marbles. These patterns go by different names, such as butterfly, cat's eye and onionskin. Aggie marbles are made of agate, while China marbles are made of porcelain. Bumblebee marbles are very specific, as they are mostly yellow with black strips on either side.

Function

• The most common function of marbles is as pieces in games. The most commonly played marble game is known as ringer. In ringer, a circle is drawn in the sand or on the ground and people take turns trying to knock out their opponent's marbles with their own. Similar games are played with marbles that involves tossing them into holes or hitting certain other marbles. Different areas of the world have traditional marble games unique to that region.