When you hear the word “marbles”, it usually brings up fond memories of shiny round glass objects and our childhood; It brings to memory that lovely childhood game called marbles.
However, marbles are more than just a game or a thing we used to play as Kids. Some of these marbles have actual value with great monetary profits but first, you’ll have to know which of these marbles are valuable, because as mentioned, not all marbles have value. Some ranging from over $1000, I made a list of the Top 15 rarest and most valuable Marbles.
Table of Contents
The Top 15 Most Valuable Marbles
Marbles are known for their beauty; their color and appearance are one of their most significant characteristics. Our experts have gathered 15 Rare and most valuable marbles, here’s the list;
No. |
Name |
Price |
1 |
Rare Huge Multi Colored Joseph Coat Vintage Marbles |
$600.00 |
2 |
Rare Vintage Large Multicolor Glass Marble |
$449.49 |
3 |
Large Antique German End of Cane Tri Level Latticino Core Marble |
$900.00 |
4 |
Spotty Onionskin Shrunken Marble |
$800.00 |
5 |
German Handmade Onionskin Marble |
$599.9 |
6 |
Rare Handmade Indian Swirl Marble |
$414.00 |
7 |
Yellow Mica Marble with Ghost Core Vintage Marble |
$500.00 |
8 |
Rare Antique Glazed China Marble Kings Rose |
$725.00 |
9 |
Paneled Onionskin German Marble |
$475.00 |
10 |
Twisty Yellow Laticinio |
$400.00 |
11 |
Ultra Rare CAC Striped Opaque with Oxblood |
$400.00 |
12 |
Rare Double Starburst China |
$400.00 |
13 |
Rare Shrunken True Orange Ribbon Lutz |
$350.00 |
14 |
Brilliant Aqua Glass Lutz |
$350.00 |
15 |
Large peppermint ribbon |
$325.00 |
1. Rare Huge Multi Colored Joseph Coat Vintage Marbles
Price: $600
This marble is truly a sight to behold with very fine colors and tiny details that just makes it so camera-worthy. Another icing on the top is the near excellent condition it is in. Currently, this rare vintage marble is worth $600, however, this value has the tendency of increasing rather than reducing in the future. The size of the marble is about 1-13/32″.
2. Rare Vintage Large Multicolor Glass Marble
Price: $449.49
This vintage marble has certain interesting shades of color like the fleece white, the cheerful color of peach citrus, and some other delightful colors like red and blue, and together, these colors all come today to make a striking display for sore eyes. It’s no wonder it came at such a high price.
3. Large Antique German End of Cane Tri-Level Latticinio Core Marble
Price: $900
This magnificent marble Antique has a latticino Core which we already described, but this latticino core is dark in color, very rare indeed. It dates to the 1970s and is quite large with a diameter of 2 and a half inches. If you have this in your collection, you’ll be glad to know that the value is worth $900.
4. Spotty Onionskin Shrunken Marble
Price: $800
Another Antique collection Worthy is this vintage marble, its unique spots and colors complement its features quite nicely. This 1960 Marble collection happens to not have a very smooth surface, but it still looks very wonderful on display with its diameter size of 2 ¼ inches.
5. German Handmade Onionskin Marble
Price: $599
Rumor has it that this Marble Classic is Owned by only one collector, now that’s an Antique you would most definitely want in your collection. This vintage marble has not received a loving polish from anyone else apart from its owner, with its striking colors, perfectly molded shape a collector would never regret having it on display.
6. Rare Handmade Indian Swirl Marble
Price: $414
Owning any of these marble Antique is obviously decorative display worthy, but this very rare handmade Indian Swirl Marble should be first considered because the surface of this marble stands out with extreme shininess one can term “gloss”. It also has random holes which makes it an interesting addition for any collector.
7. Yellow Mica Marble with Ghost Core Vintage Marble
Price: $500
The size of this marble is intriguing, it also happens to have an intriguing history as well. This 1-inch marble with extremely smooth sides is an addition you won’t love to miss in your collection. This colored marble is almost a shade of yellow. The more light shines through it, the more yellow it appears to be.
8. Rare Antique Glazed China Marble Kings Rose
Price: $725
China brought this amazing Marble design to perfection with its fantastic appearance. This Antique Marble is sold. It is an interesting vintage marble with a set of colors that are eye-catching, if I might add, with its pure glossy white that is glazed. It’s no wonder it is termed KING ROSE, not forgetting the art at the center of this Marble. It is 7.8” in height and amazing to behold.
9. Paneled Onionskin German Marble
Price: $475
Looking at this beautifully paneled Onionskin Marble you can tell that the maker did justice to it. With its colors and unique shape. It is worthy to be in any Antique collection. This German classic is wonderful for any collector with a great appreciation for beauty. This is indeed a vintage marble with its own unique set of colors and would stand out during display.
10. Twisty Yellow Laticinio
Price: $400
This Laticinio Yellow Twist would most definitely stand out in your Antique collection. The twist which looks a lot like spiral lines adds some uniqueness to its characteristics. It is not only aesthetically pleasing it is also very large in size, it spans about two inches. It brings in a little sunshine to your day with its yellow tint and other different colors swirling around the edge.
11. Ultra Rare CAC Striped Opaque with Oxblood
Price: $400
Rumor has it that Sky blue is a color that compares with that of an unclouded sky at about noon. This Ultra-Rare marble is enchanting to behold with its glowing blue color at the center, the ox bloodlines running about it. If you are intrigued by the beauty this should be a classic to consider.
12. Rare Double Starburst China
Price: $400
This Rare Pure White Marble from China comes alone and has a delightful-looking red star on the top and base. It is in near perfect condition with no dents on the surface. It is a pleasurable addition to a collection.
13. Rare Shrunken True Orange Ribbon Lutz
Price: $350
This marble is in near perfect condition with no dings or damage to its surface. It has a delightful orange pattern which is shrunken, and that attribute makes it quite rare. This rare marble is worth $350.
14. Brilliant Aqua Glass Lutz
Price: $350
This marble can be termed royal with each edge that has beautiful swirls of gold and black with white in between. At the center of this marble is a blue color making it a truly magnificent sight.
15. Large Peppermint Ribbon
Price: $325
This Ribbon-looking marble brings back the nostalgic feeling of peppermint candy with its ribbon pattern that runs through the center in the peppermint colors of blue, red, and white. A fantastic selection for an Antique collection.
What Are Marbles?
Marbles are usually small objects that are spherical in shape. They can be made from a variety of materials ranging from glass to plastic to even clay. Their sizes also tend to vary, and they are majorly loved because of their pleasing colors.
They are quite popular and tend to trigger nostalgia. Over time, marbles have triggered the interest of collectors who have become invested in collecting these intricate and eye-catching objects.
The issue of their value as well as their prices which can range up to thousands of dollars is simply more reason why these marbles are collection worthy. Marbles have different terms and classifications.
Types Of Antique Marbles
Marbles can be made from a variety of materials, however, it is majorly made from three materials which include:
-
Glass
-
Clay
-
Agate
Marbles made from glass are the commonest kind of marble ever made and they come in a wide range of colors as well as designs. Marbles made from clay are produced from fired clay and as well come in different designs with various shapes. Agates are naturally occurring materials that have a high sheen due to extensive polishing. Like glass marbles, they come in a wide range of colors and designs as well as shapes and sizes.
It is from these three main types of marbles that other subcategories of marbles emerge. Some of these subcategories of marbles include:
Bumblebees
One of the different types of marbles available are bumblebees, they are marbles that have stripes of black and yellow.
Onion skins
Another type bears the name Onion Skins, the name is used to refer to marbles made from remnants of crushed glass at the end of the day. Which are then stretched into layers of colors that swirl throughout the marble.
Aggies
This is a sweet name given to marbles that are made from a material known as agate. Even the marbles that look like agate are referred to as aggies.
Micas
One of my favorite types of marbles is Micas. This is the result of a product used in coloring clear marbles leaving them with just one color.
Cats eye marbles: These are clear marbles with unique streaks and veins of color on their surface which reflect a band of light when they are rolled. This band of light as well as the design of the streaks gave it the name, cat’s eye.
Swirls: These are simply marbles that have different colors because of the random integration of colored marbles into a swirling hot mass of molten glass.
Cobras – These are marbles in which a contrasting color encompasses a single color.
Shooters: These are very large marbles that were specially designed to shoot or knock around other smaller marbles out of a circle.
Milky: These are simply opaque milky white marbles.
Immies This is short for marbles made to look like agate marbles
Peewees: These are very small marbles with sizes under ½ an inch wide.
Cane cut marbles: These are marbles made of glass and cut from a single cane that is the glass rod they are formed on.
Commies – These were named after their commonness. They are simple marbles made from clay.
China: These are marbles made from porcelain material or clay.
Bemmingtons: These marbles were created to emulate the Bennington pottery in Vermont.
Allies: Brown marbles were known as Stonies, and Alabaster marbles were called Allies. Kids typically made their own marbles by rolling and baking clay. They usually carried their wet clay from a nearby river, lake, or stream! These homemade marbles were called Marididdles.
How To Identify Antique Marbles
There are a lot of imitations happening in the world today so it can be tough sometimes to differentiate between an antique marble and a new marble made to imitate an antique marble.
However, there are some factors one can use to determine whether marble is truly antique or just a fake.
Some of these factors include
- The Study of Marble history
- Knowing the various categories of marble as well as their unique characteristics
If you have a collection of marbles and you want to determine whether they are truly antique, here are some steps to follow:
STEP 1: First, study each marble carefully and subsequently divide them into two groups: handmade and machine-made. To be able to tell which is handmade, you can start by looking out for some marks called pontil marks. These are rough marks that occur when marble is cut off a cane – A cane is the glass rod these marbles were formed, afterwards, sticks are used in shaping these marbles into the desired form and this leaves the marks referred to as pontil marks.
STEP 2: After separating the marbles into groups of handmade and machine-made, then you divide them into their various subcategories, for example, the shooters, milkies, e.t.c. In each subcategory, check for similarities and little differences. Search specifically for marbles that look different than the others making sure to use a magnifying glass and holding each of them to the light.
STEP 3: Afterwards, compare their sizes. Usually, smaller marbles are still being produced in mass as they are still used in games. Afterward, check the color and make comparisons. Older/antique marbles usually have brighter colors because they were produced using better materials with a lot of care and precision while marbles made with machines tend to be dull.
STEP 4: After you’ve checked the color, the next thing to check for is the quality of the glass, the marble was produced. Usually, antique marbles do not break easily because of the high quality of glass they were made from while newer marbles which are majorly machine-made, tend to break quite easily because of the lower grade of materials that are used in production.
STEP 5: The patterns on the marble can also give you a clue as to which year it was produced. Another clue in determining antique marbles is by checking the design at the very center. The rarer and older a marble is, the higher the possibility that there would be small figures of either humans or animals at the very center. Those figures are referred to as sulfides and they were majorly produced in the 1800s. Those figures (sulfides) are usually about 1 ¼ inches big hence a magnifying glass is necessary for accurate determination.
STEP 6: After these major comparisons have been made, then it’s time to check for smaller differences such as little flaws or dings that are indicative of the age of the marble. The older the marble, the higher its tendency to have certain bubbles or blowholes because of the process of glass blowing it has undergone during production.
Summarily, this stage of inspection should be conducted by an experienced or well-researched collector or dealer because it can be quite challenging.
Antique Marbles Value And Price Guide
Want to know tips on how to value marbles or what makes marbles valuable? The amount of value placed on an antique marble is highly dependent on the condition it comes in. If the marble is not in pristine condition and has a lot of chips, scratches, and cracks, then the value is highly reduced. The same thing applies to marbles in full color.
There are some other factors that can also influence the value of antique marble and those factors include;
-
Size
The bigger the size of a marble, the more value it has. If an antique marble is small such as the peewees which are under half an inch wide, then the less valuable that marble is. The reduction in value is since the smaller a marble, the higher the probability that it would end up rougher
-
Design
The value of a marble also depends on the type of design it wears. The smoother and rounder a marble is, the higher the value. This is because it shows the care, dedication, and time that went into producing that marble
-
Shape
A marble shape tells a lot about its value, the rounder or more spherical it is the better and more value it shells. If a marble has sulphones at its core, that is figures such as humans or animals or even shapes such as hearts, then automatically, the value of that marble goes up compared to a marble that doesn’t have them at all.
-
Color
Marbles are known for their colorfulness, appearance, and beauty. Given this fact, the rarer in color it is the value and price follows suit. Therefore, If a marble is composed of a variety of colors are usually more aesthetic than single-colored marbles with non-distinct lines and hence has more value
Where Can I Sell Antique Marbles
You might have come a long way in collecting antique marbles, or maybe a friend just gifted you a whole collection of marbles, and you’re wondering where you can sell these antique marbles, well wonder no more.
Listed below are some platforms where you can trade your marbles for a nice profit, and they include
Buymarbles: This is a site where you can sell different amounts of your antique marbles ranging from one marble up to an entire collection of marbles.
Ebay: This is an online platform that is involved in the trading of antique items and other categories of products and antique marbles are not left out.
Morphy Auctions: This is a site that caters to enthusiasts as well as hobbyists. If you’re seeking a place to get a high price for your antique marbles, then Morphy auctions are there for you.
Etsy: This is an online platform that deals in a wide variety of products. You can sell as well as buy your antique marbles on this platform with little to no stress.
Craigslist: Ranking as one of the largest e-commerce platforms, Craigslist is another wonderful place to trade your antique marbles.
Conclusion
Collecting antique marbles is always worth it. Apart from their aesthetic quality, it is also very profitable if you have an eye for collecting those with value. It doesn’t matter whether it is a gift from a friend, or you just happened to stumble on a collection in the attic, despite the length of time the antique marbles might have stayed, in its case, it’s not a detracting factor, because the older the antique marble, the better the value.
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