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.
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.
