How to Determine Value of Vintage Collectible Marbles

vintage marbles can be valuable

Vintage marbles take years to master and become an expert, but an interest in marble collecting and old marbles can get a collection started.

Knowing value is often the key to buying marbles, since building a marble collection for fun usually includes an interest in marbles as an investment, too.

You do not have to know the exact value to know enough to make wise purchases in marbles. Here are a few tips to help determine value of vintage collectible marbles.

Things You'll Need

• A loupe magnifier
• curiosity and interest in marbles

Instructions

1. Check the condition.

   Look for pits and internal fractures with a loupe or magnifying glass. A dull marble is not usually as valuable as the same marble that is still shiny. Condition is directly related to the value of vintage collectible marbles. Many marble sellers do not know that there is a difference in value and the asking price.

2. 

   Check the size.

   Look for large marbles and peewees, since these are usually more valuable and often in better condition than playing marbles of 9/16 inch size.

3. 

   Look for colors or styles.

   Find handmade marbles that are swirls, or opaque marbles that are machine made from a specific company. Akro Agate and Christensen are two companies that made machine marbles that can be identified by color or style.

4. Find multi-colored marbles with clear distinctive lines.

   Look for marbles with four colors and clear divisions between the colors. Also check for marbles that are pleasing to the artistic eye. Vintage marble prices and value often relate to artistic merit. A collector is more likely to find value in machine made marbles that are opaque, too.

   Many of the cateye marbles are recent imports, poor quality glass with fine bubbles, and will not build a valuable collection. Older or vintage cateyes like nine vanes can be worth collecting.

5. 

   Check for vintage collectible marbles with shapes.

   Learn to look for shapes in marbles. Common shapes are the number nine and the turkey. Corkscrews are a specific shape, as are handmade swirls, but marbles often have a heart shape or something that makes them more valuable than they would be without the shape. Look closely for hearts, ducks, or people shapes within the glass.

6. Determine value by combining these steps.

   Check condition, size, color, multi-colors, artistic merit, and shapes within the glass marbles to arrive at a value for vintage collectible marbles. The maker is helpful but not essential to determining value.

   Before making a purchase for a marble collection, consider each of these factors mentally or with a checklist. Once you are home, check the internet or marble books to see comparable marbles and marble values of vintage collectible marbles. Do this a few times and you will be able to value marbles to see if the price is high or fair, or if you are getting a steal.

Tips & Warnings

• We often write about vintage glass and pottery. See more articles in Resources below.

• copyright 2010 Linda Richard

• Feel free to link to this article or send it to a friend. Do not copy.

Resources

• Collect Contemporary Marbles
• Buy Marbles: Corkscrew Variations
• How to Collect Marbles
• Collect American Pottery Tiles
• Identify Handmade Marbles
• Read Art Glass Marks
• How to use a Loupe
• Find an Antiques and Collectibles Appraiser