Clear Glass Marbles

Marbles are glass objects that have been used as toys for thousands of years – there have actually been cases of marbles being made out of clay that have been used by ancient Egyptians. Old marbles have recently become collector’s items.  In today’s society marbles are mostly made out of glass, but more expensive marbles can be made out of stones (semi-precious or otherwise), and even plastic, acrylic, or any hard material.

Modern day marbles (ones made from glass), can trace their appearance back to Germany, when it was played by adults as well as children in the 1800s. Small family business produced marbles in Germany up until 1917, when mass production and factories were able to produce them cheaper and faster, with more patterns and designs.

The clear glass marble is said to be the most common and popular choice of marble. Although, cats eyes are also very popular, and are rated as the no.1 in certain countries. The reason the clear marbles are the most popular is that they are much cheaper to make and produce in countries such as china. More developed countries can afford to spend extra money on producing more expensive and collectable designs.

Clear Glass marbles can be bought in toy shops around the world and have an age limit as guidance on the box, this is to prevent choking.
Marble makers first smelt recycled glass and previously-made marbles that were rejected due to imperfections in size, shape or desired coloration. Melted at 22000 F until liquefied, the molten glass is allowed to pour out where it is sheared into exact lengths which determine mass. The molten wad of glass falls onto twin rotating screws that resemble an Archimedes water screw. The rotation screws prevent the glass from sticking and it also causes the glass segment to become round. It travels the length of the twin screws, become more solid as it nears the end.

Marble manufactures use old marbles that were not good enough to sell, and recycled glass to produce new ranges of the small glass toys. The glass is melted until liquid, so it can be reshaped and poured into moulds. This set amount is then dropped onto two spinning rods, which has a slight decline. The glass starts at the top, slowly rolling down the rods until at the bottom, they are perfectly formed marbles.

Glass marbles are a favourite with kids as there are many games that can be created using marbles. Marbles have been used for years as toys for children of course under strict supervision.