How do you identify valuable marbles?
When it comes to glass, handmade antique marbles are most valuable. They can be easily identified because they have a tiny scar, or pontil mark, where they were cut from the glass rod while being made.
How can you tell a marble?
If you see scratches or signs of wear on the surface of your stone, you are looking at real marble. If you scratch a knife across an inconspicuous area or on the underside of the slab and it shows little or no damage, you are looking at the more durable granite or manufactured stone.
What’s the most expensive marble ever sold?
Top 10 Most Expensive Marbles 2018
- Opaque Lutz Marble – $25,000.
- End of Days Onionskin Marble – $14,950.
- Single Gather Confetti Mica Marble – $10,999.
- Onionskin Swirl Marble – $10,350.
- Onionskin Blizzard Marble – $9,775.
- Indian Mag Lite Marble – $9,200.
- Single Pontil Birdcage Marble – $7,800.
What is a German marble?
Types of antique cane-cut German marbles Banded or coreless swirl marbles are marbles with outer bands of color with clear or opaque cores. These types of marbles include the popular red, white, and blue Peppermint Swirls or “Flags,” which were made in 1876 to celebrate the American Centennial.
What is an onion skin marble?
Onion Skins – End of day marbles in which colored flecks of glass are stretched so that the core has may swirls, resembling an onion.
How can you tell how old marbles are?
Hold the marbles up to the light and look for subtle flaws or marks that indicate the age. Older marbles will have certain bubbles or flaws caused by the glass-blowing process. Compare the colors of one type of marble to another.
What are some names of marbles?
The marble types are usually named after the regions from which they are produced. Some of the notable marbles include the Etowah marble, the Parian marble, the Yule marble, Makrana marble, the Nero Marquina marble, the Sylacauga marble, the Creole marble, and the Carrara marble.
How do you value marbles?
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.
Are old marbles valuable?
Just as with any glass antique, chips, cracks and scratches will lower the value. Since old marbles were used as toys it is not surprising that most will have some damage. As with most antiques, collectors want marbles that are in mint condition or very close to that. Marbles in poor condition will have very little value.
What is a vintage marble?
Vintage and Antique Marbles. Antique glass marbles are highly collectible, from handmade examples by German glassmakers of the 1800s to vintage marbles made by machine in the early 20th century by U.S. companies like Christensen, Peltier Glass, Akro Agate , and Vitro Agate.