How to Identify Types of Toy Marbles

A collection of toy marbles.

With a range of colors, measurements and patterns, marbles can be tough to identify at times. Just becoming familiar with the many kinds of toy marbles available and different marble manufacturers can be an intimidating process. Whether produced by a device or by hand, specific types of marbles possess recognizable colors and designs. With the hundreds of marbles that are distinct in color, size and patterns, three common toy marbles stand out: Cat's eye, Superman and Onionskin. Some enthusiasts achieve success identifying toy marbles on the Web, because fellow enthusiasts have created websites with photos and company information to assist in marble identification.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• Calipers

Instructions

1. Educate yourself on the various kinds of toy marbles readily available from manufacturers and know the history of marbles. Internet sites like BuyMarbles.com possess a large amount of useful information and facts to assist you get started. There are also publications, such Bo Karlsson's "The Marble Publication: A Book Regarding Marbles around the World," that provide examples of accurate identification.

2. Assess the construction attributes of the marbles: dimension (measured with calipers), materials (glass, plastic, steel or clay); seams around the marble along with veneering (covering that has a narrow layer of more expensive material). These aspects could assist in identification. Marble companies utilize various machines and techniques to produce an array of marble designs. For instance, the Onionskin is a toy marble that has a color pattern making it look like a pealed or sliced onion.

3. Decide whether the marbles are made by hand or machine. Handmade marbles usually aren't perfectly rounded or smooth and will include cut-off markings on either or both poles (ends) of each marble. A number of handmade marbles are made with clay or natural stone and are hand ground. Clay-based or natural stone marbles appear glazed; a few are unglazed. An example of this is the popular Cat's eye marbles or even the clay-based Benningtons, with their glowing blue or brown-spotted glaze finish.

4. Utilize calipers or perhaps a marble circular image template to measure the dimensions of the marbles. A marble circular image template has several size sectors cut out of the plastic-type material.

5. Recognize the colors along with patterns from the marbles as various suppliers are notable for specific color and pattern designs of these marbles. A good example is the Superman, which holds the colors of red, yellow, blue and white color clothing of fictional character Superman.

6. Evaluate the particular characteristics of the marbles, using the marbles highlighted on such websites as Joemarbles.com. Search within photographs and company information on websites to assist in determine your marbles.

Tips & Warnings

• A caliper is a gadget accustomed to measure the distance in between two opposing sides of an object.

References

• Marble Online: The Hobby of Marble Collecting
• BuyMarbles.com: Marble Identification

Resources

• Toy Collector: Types of Marbles
• Joemarbles.com: Marble Pictures
• American Toy Marble Museum: Glossary