OTHER NON-GLASS MATERIAL

Handmade marbles were also produced from materials other than glass or clay.

 

Wooden marbles can be found in either their natural color or dyed. They were probably used in games, and not for marble playing, because they are not very dense. Therefore, they are not very effective for shooting or targets.

 

There is also a type of marble that appears to be constructed from Gutta Percha (these were originally thought by collectors to be paper mache). These are all very rare. They are very light and were probably meant for use in a board game and not in marble shooting games. The marbles are a red, orange and black swirl pattern.

 

Marble collectors come across a bewildering number of steel marbles in their hunting. Most of these are solid ball bearings. These have no real value to marble collectors. However, there are some handmade Steelies available. These are hollow steel spheres that were made by hand. They can be identified by their lightness and by the “X” on one end where the open end was folded. Occasionally, they may have rust, but clean examples are collectible.

 

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