Marbles are one of the things I specialize in. When I go to antique shows and flea markets, I always have the largest and most diverse marble inventory of anyone there. As a result, nearly every marble dealer and marble collector who comes to the show ends up in my booth.
I often get two questions from the public:
- What do you look for to find a good marble?
- How do you tell marbles apart?
The first question has no good answers that are foolproof. Generally, the bigger the marble, the more expensive it is compared to smaller ones of the same type. But sometimes it is just the opposite. Some people will say the more colors, the better the marble. Also not always true. Marbles made by Jabo usually have four to six different colors, but are generally worth only $1-$5. Some antique marbles only have one or two colors but can be very expensive. Some will say having added materials in the marble like lutz or mica will make it more expensive. Once again, not necessarily. Modern marbles that are hand made by artists often contain these things and can be picked up for a few dollars in some cases. Jabo often uses lutz in their marbles, yet can be found for under $5 at this point in time. The reality is there is no guaranteed shortcut that will help you find an expensive marble.
The pictures above show two oxblood marbles. One is a $90 marble. The other is $5. Do you know which is which?
Which leads us into the next question. The answer to the second question is….lots and lots of practice. The old-timers will tell you it will take you 10 years to learn how to identify marbles. From my experience, that is pretty accurate, and I even had some of the best collectors/dealers in the Midwest helping me learn. In the beginning, marble books/guides will often confuse you more than help you. They often don’t have good enough descriptions, pictures, or both. They will help with the easiest marbles to identify, but not many of the ones you really want to know.
Because marbles don’t have company hallmarks on them, identifying marbles is a matter of learning patterns, shades of color, seam patterns and shapes, etc. One shade of green may be one company, but another shade a different company. Or it may be the difference of being made in one decade to being made a decade or two later. To get good at identifying marbles, you have to handle tens of thousands of marbles so you can pick up on the subtle differences. And that’s why it takes years to get good at it.
Going to marble clubs and marble shows will help a lot. Most serious collectors and dealers are very happy to help newcomers join the hobby. At a marble show, don’t come the day of the show. Come a day or two early.
Like many trade shows, marble shows are hotel shows. Dealers begin to arrive one to five days ahead of the show. They will set up their inventory in their room, throw their room doors open, and spend the days before the show buying, selling, and trading with anyone who comes by. Because it can often be slow and boring sitting around waiting, most marble dealers will love to talk to a newcomer and teach them things. So show up a day or two early and get some private, in-depth lessons!
For more help search online for “marble clubs” or “marble shows” and find the ones closest to you. Then begin a lifetime of joy as you collect these fantastic little orbs of art glass.