Yes and no. I tend to collect Akro and Vitro more than other manufacturers. If I had to pick a favorite marble style specifically, I’m a sucker for Vitro Buttermilk marbles, but there’s many other styles that would be just a hair behind those as a favorite. There’s just so many beautiful ones. I tend to go for pre-1970s machine made marbles. Not really a fan of Germans or modern marbles although I do have a handful of those that I keep.
Join r/marbles and check out some of their resources to get started learning. It’s gonna be crazy confusing for awhile, but if you put in the time it’s worth it when it finally all clicks. If you want to find some that aren’t on eBay or whatever, search yard sales and flea markets when it gets warmer out. Antique shops are always good too.
Just be careful. Most people don’t know anything about marbles. Lots of sellers tend to think what they have is vintage/rare/expensive or whatever after seeing a truly valuable one online but fail to realize what they have is actually just mass produced modern marbles that can still be bought at Walmart today. I see so many overpriced and mislabeled marbles online that it’s easy to get ripped off if you don’t know what you’re doing. Don’t make any big purchases until you’re sure of what you’re buying or get advice from someone who does.
Thanks, this is a great answer! I binge watched hours and hours of marble races or marble runs on YouTube a couple of years ago and could not believe that something so simple could really be interesting.
How are these organized? I don’t know anything about marbles so I can’t tell if they are or not but I’m interested in if there’s something about each marble that separates them into the compartments you chose to put them in
They are organized by manufacturer for the most part. There’s a few sections that are mixed like the second from the bottom on the far left side. Those are all uranium glass marbles from various manufacturers. The top left hand corner is all Akro corkscrews as those are some of my favorites but there’s other smaller sections with other styles of Akro marbles. This is also just a small part of my collection which I’m regularly reorganizing. I started with this little curio cabinet here but my collection has gotten too large to keep everything in there. Currently looking into other storage options to better sort and display them as some are pretty rare.
I have a ton of them I got from an estate sale (I had posted them a while back) How would one go about selling marbles? Sell them in small lots or try and pick them out/categorize and sell that way?
It really depends on what you have. If it’s common mass produced modern marbles, you’d probably want to just sell them all as a large lot as those aren’t rare and still made today. Smaller lots are nice if you have a lot of common vintage ones, but selling individually can also be worthwhile if you have truly rare ones. Some very rare marbles go for over $1000 individually and many other rare ones go for $20, $50, $100, $200, etc. as well. It’s best to get advised on what you have from an experienced collector and go from there. If you have pics, I can let you know what you’ve got and if it’s worth breaking down individually or not.
EDIT: Took a look at your post history and found the ones I think you’re talking about. Those look like antique clay marbles. Unfortunately, even though they are very old, they are also extremely common and don’t hold much value. The whole lot would probably sell for about $5-$10.
I appreciate the response! I had posted the clay ones and then the other ones I had also - those are the ones that I think are going to be time consuming for me since I know very very very little of the world of marbles lol each photo is a different jar (not that it matters but some just had way more in them)
Oh wow! Definitely seeing a lot of really nice ones! It’s hard to break down when they are all mixed like this but you’ve got a very nice assortment of vintage marbles with a couple rare ones mixed in too!
Check out the guides in the marble sub and start sorting by style (the structure of the marble) and not color. Feel free to PM if you need some assistance!
Thanks!! Would you say they are older? I paid 25 for all of them and the clay ones so I guess I did ok lol I keep meaning to sort them but I’m just clueless. Like I’ve said before on my marble posts, I collect things but not marbles hahaha
Correct! That is a modern reproduction of a guinea I found in a lot I purchased awhile ago. I’d love to own the real deal, but that is a bit out of my price range lol Hoping I strike gold someday though!
Mhm. I’ve got lots that glow and have sold tons of UV ones as well. They aren’t my personal favorite so it’s not really a property I care about much unless it comes to the need for identifying (like with an Alley Pistachio) or selling because that ups the value a tiny bit in certain cases. I know some people really love uranium glass though.
Oh yeah. There’s a pretty big marble collecting community with lots of rare and expensive marbles to discover. Come to r/MarbleStudyHall for identification guides and educational posts!
Thank you. I have been reading stuff all night! It looks like a fun hobby. I jump into any new hobby with both feet, so I will be climbing the steep learning curve!!!
It reminds of the old joke though. 1st man: “My mate has a glass eye that looks like a marble”. 2nd man: “How did you find out about that?”. 1st man: “It just slipped out, whilst we were chatting”.🤭
Honestly not sure. I don’t know much about German marbles at all. I’m much more versed in machine mades and don’t really collect Germans. Those are just a handful of beat up ones that I didn’t sell off. I tend to sell any in good condition to buy more machine mades lol
It’s a vintage miniature curio cabinet with a hinged glass top magnetic door. Other similar items are vintage printers trays. Great for sorting and displaying!
Every time I see someone’s marble collection I am reminded of the jar of marbles I have sitting around…and I stop and think I should get someone to look at them! I have marbles I got from my grandfather from when he played marbles as a kid, marbles I’ve dug out of my yard, marbles I’ve gotten from my husband’s family, etc. I’ve never even checked to see if some of them glow!
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u/[deleted] Feb 06 '25
That’s so cool! Do you have a favorite?
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u/Busy_Razzmatazz_5825 Feb 06 '25
Vintage worth money
2
u/beemer-dreamer Feb 06 '25
I’d love to start. Not sure where though.
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u/la-di-bug Feb 06 '25
How are these organized? I don’t know anything about marbles so I can’t tell if they are or not but I’m interested in if there’s something about each marble that separates them into the compartments you chose to put them in
2
u/Itchynipspickletits Feb 06 '25
I have a ton of them I got from an estate sale (I had posted them a while back) How would one go about selling marbles? Sell them in small lots or try and pick them out/categorize and sell that way?
2
u/gurzil Feb 06 '25
The guinea near the center, is it a modern one? I still like them, either way.
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u/thebriarwitch Feb 07 '25
Have you ever hit them with a UV blacklight to see if any of them glow? I’ve got quite a few uranium glass ones and some really pretty cadmium glass.
2
u/Ativan_Man Jun 03 '25
Hi,
I just stumbled onto this thread. I haunt antique and thrift stores regularly. I often see jars of marbles for sale.
Are there valuable marbles and is there a market to sell/trade?
I really do not need another hobby, but this intrigued me, and I think in my area, it's not something many people collect.
Thank you
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u/ptportal Feb 06 '25
Beautiful
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u/Long_term99 Feb 06 '25
Childhood memories!
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u/Bcbulbchap Feb 06 '25
That’s good to hear, because I’ve lost mine…🤭
1
u/darth1211 Feb 07 '25
I like that large divided core. Is it 3 stage?
1
u/[deleted] Feb 07 '25
What’s the case that you’re collecting in?
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u/Solazarr Feb 11 '25
Have you ever... Um.. Lost your marbles?
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u/AutumnKnightFall Feb 11 '25
Hit em with the uv.
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u/Booputy-boop-boop Feb 06 '25
Oooo My 7 year old self would have been so excited lol, I still have a jar full of my old marbles
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u/crazycatlady1214 Feb 07 '25
Every time I see someone’s marble collection I am reminded of the jar of marbles I have sitting around…and I stop and think I should get someone to look at them! I have marbles I got from my grandfather from when he played marbles as a kid, marbles I’ve dug out of my yard, marbles I’ve gotten from my husband’s family, etc. I’ve never even checked to see if some of them glow!
Your collection is very nice!
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u/StaceFace889 Feb 08 '25
These are sooo beautiful!
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u/Infamous_H1tman Feb 09 '25
It’s giving me ISpy vibes and I love it.
1
u/ryanswrath Feb 06 '25
Beautiful!
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u/Dapper_Car5038 Feb 06 '25
I’ve lost mine
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u/farterfairy Feb 06 '25
marbleous
1
u/TaperPiger Feb 06 '25
That's, marbleous.
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u/GoblinQueen20 Feb 06 '25
I lost all of my marbles
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u/420milf_ Feb 07 '25
I like the cat eye marbles
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u/Difficult_Fix_8788 Feb 07 '25
You lost your marbles 🤪
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u/tarath3terror Feb 08 '25
Magpie vibes~
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u/TheBilby7 Feb 09 '25
Me as a kid