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History
Marbles
are often mentioned in Roman literature, and there are many examples of marbles from ancient Egypt. They were commonly made of clay, stone or glass.

Ceramic marbles entered inexpensive mass production in the 1870s.

Glass marbles were invented around 1848 in Germany[1], and entered mass production in the early 20th century when World War I cut off their importation from Europe, causing American industry to be applied to the task, producing a mechanized method of glass marble production which became the most common system in the world. Glass marbles, too, became the most popular variety, and have remained so to this day.

In some developing countries, children use steel, minerals or large rocks as a less pricy marble substitute.

Pre-1970

MARBLES MINT 5 8" CHRISTENSEN GREEN RED ORANGE SWIRL	1	$9.99	1h 8m
LARGE LOT of MARBLES ASSORTED TYPES & COLORS		$14.99	1h 21m
VTG Marble 1 inch" JUMBO SWIRLS Part of Collection M94		$9.99	1h 33m
Vintage French Trade Card Comical Illustration Egg Boy		$15.00	1h 48m
Rare Antique Marbles		$200.00	1h 49m
100 BEAUTIFUL MARBLES 9 16 CRYSTAL USA MADE MARBLES	1	$5.95	2h 6m
Vintage Marble 5 8" STRIPES PART of a Collection M52		$6.99	2h 12m
227 BEAUTIFUL MARBLES MIXED COLOR AND SIZES MARBLE LOT		$9.95	2h 19m
MARBLE KING vintage patch marbles lot of 125+ very nice	-	$10.00	2h 47m
marbles-Sulphide W Elephant Figurine"SWEET" near mint	-	$100.00 $125.00	2h 47m

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About Marbles

Old Hand made Marbles

The great majority of vintage handmade marbles were produced individually in German in the second half of the 19th century, and first decade of the 20th century. Several factors, including the invention of automated processes by US companies, and the banning of German imports at the onset of World War I sealed their demise. These were the first marbles collected, each an individually made work of art.

Machine made Marbles
Numerous marble companies thrived in the US during the first half of the 20th Century, capitalizing on the monopoly the US enjoyed regarding machinemade marbles.