Contemporary by Jerry Park

Jerry Park creates contemporary glass marbles by torch. He calls this one a pattern slag.

I couldn't find Jerry's website, but if you want to see more of his terrific work at another website then CLICK HERE.

Marble King Bumblebees circa 1950s

Marble King, Inc. began making marbles in 1949 in St. Marys, WV. In 1958 it moved to Paden City, WV where it still makes marbles today.

Sulphide Paperweight

Made in the late 1800s, this handmade German sulphide has a large fish swimming in green glass. It's 3 1/8" tall with a base measuring 2 3/4" x 2 1/2". From the collection of Danton Burroughs.

Akro Agate Sparklers circa 1920s

A truly beautiful marble, this type of sparkler is unique to Akro Agate Company, which produced them in the mid to late 1920s.

Akro Agate Oxbloods circa 1930s

Lemonade and oxblood, egg yolk oxblood, silver oxblood, white oxblood, blue oxblood, green oxblood and carnelian oxblood. Which is your favorite?

Elephant Sulphide circa Late 1800s

This handmade German sulphide measures 1 5/8"

Lundberg Studios Contemporary Art Glass

The Worldsphere marble is a wonderful example of the specially formulated glasses pioneered by the late James Lundberg. Made in 1999, this paperweight-type cased-glass style Worldsphere is 3 1/18".

Despite the passing of James, Lundberg Studios is still going strong!!! You can see more of their amazing work by CLICKING HERE.

Fantasy Orb by Douglas Sweet

Having established Karuna Glass in 1974, Douglas Sweet is considered one of the masters of the second generation of studio glass craftsmen. Pictured is one of his 1 1/2" dichroic millefiori Fantasy Orbs, circa 1990s.

Note: I could not find Douglas' website. However, many websites display and sell his recent work. You can go to one of them by CLICKING HERE.

Solid Core Swirl

This 3/4" swirl was handmade in Germany in the late 1800s. It's sometimes called an English style swirl because of the bright colors.

Akro Cornelians

Made in the 1930s and 40s, cornelians are a single-stream opaque slag - a combination of opaque red and white glass. Cornelians are very rare and not to be confused with Akro red carnelian slags.

Akro Agate Corkscrews

These three-color corkscrews are called Superman marbles. They were made in the 1940s.

European Sparklers

Sometimes called sunbursts, it is believed these machine made marbles were made in the 1940s or 50s.

Peltier Peerless Patch

Made in the 1930s, peerless patch marbles have a two-color patch. As you can see from the photo, they're identifiable by their uniqueness of both design and shades of color.

China Marbles

China marbles come in a variety of types and designs, glazed or unglazed. Made in Germany and the United States in the 1800s. These marbles range in size from 1/2" to 1 3/4".

Standing Horse Sulphide circa Late 1800s

This handmade German sulphide measures 2". My daughter owns and loves it despite the damaged figure.

Lined Crockery (Stoneware) circa 1800s

These crockery marbles were made in Germany and the United States in the 1800's.

Champion Backlash

In 1988 a marble machine operator accidentally dropped a welding rod into a melting tank/furnace of clear glass. It resulted in a kind of metallic wire pull. Dennis Webb gave me this marble in 1991. Only about 250,000 were made.

Salamander Sulphide

This salamander sitting on a rock measures 1 11/16". It was handmade in Germany in the late 1800s.

Onionskin Cloud with Mica circa Late 1800s

Red, white and blue with mica, this end of the day 1" German onionskin cloud is a real beauty.

Dog Sulphide circa Late 1800s

This handmade German marble measures 1 5/8".

Onionskin Cloud circa Late 1800s

This handmade, end of day German multi-colored transparent cloud measures 13/16".

Turquoise Indian Swirl circa Late 1800s

Black and turquoise, this small 5/8" Indian swirl is a real gem.

Onionskin with Lutz

This handmade German onionskin is loaded with lutz. It measures 1 1/4" and was made in the late 1800s. From the collection of Danton Burroughs.

Joseph Coat Swirl circa Late 1800s

A beautiful 1 5/16" swirl of many colors. From the collection of Danton Burroughs.

Naked Ribbon Swirl

German handmade swirl, circa late 1800s. A very rare and much sought after marble measuring 1 3/8". From the collection of Danton Burroughs.

Hawk Sulphide circa Late 1800s

This 1 9/16" sulphide shows a perched hawk and is from the collection of Danton Burroughs.

Purple and Yellow Slags circa 1920s & 30s

Made at a variety of factories, slags were one of the earliest machine made marbles. These were photographed under a black light. The yellow Vaseline glass glows green in contrast to the purple slags.

Stoneware (Crockery) Marbles

Clay-based marbles are some of the earliest known. Imported from Germany, they were seen in North America from at least the early 1700s. Later, they were produced in the United States from 1884 to 1918. The crockery marble pictured is very old and measures 2".

Grazing Horse Sulphide circa Late 1800s

This German sulphide measures 1 and 13/16". My daughter is the proud owner.

Peltier Comic Strip Marbles

In 1933, Peltier Glass Company made marbles with twelve comic strip characters stamped and sealed on the surface. Here are two of them.

Betty Boop & Emma

Rooster Sulphide

This rooster sulphide measures 2" and was handmade in Germany circa late 1800s.

Champion Furnace Marbles

These were made in the mid 1990s from recycled cathedral glass, which was brought to Champion Agate by Wissmuch Glass, a flat glass manufacturer in Paden City, WV.

Vortex and Flower by Raz Glass Studio

Born of Fire!!! Calvin Sugita's vortex and flower marbles evoke the beauty and magic that is Hawaii. From the collection of Danton Burroughs.

I'll post a link to Raz Glass Studio as soon I get it. In the meantime, to view more of Calvin's inspiring work, CLICK HERE.

Sitting Cat Sulphide

This sulphide is a German made sitting cat measuring 1 15/16".

Transition Marbles circa Early 1900s

Transitions are slag marbles, which were gathered by hand and then formed by machine. So they're combination machine and handmade. The transitions pictured are from the collection of Danton Burroughs.

Bear Sulphide circa Late 1800s

This handmade German marble was the first sulphide I ever bought; it measures 2".

Pee Wee Swirls

Hand-made in Germany in the late 1800s, these small pretty pee wees measure 1/2" or less.

Cat with Sulphide

This one's for Pomi.

Popeye Marbles by Akro Agate

Popeye corkscrews are a three-color or four-color special that contain a unique color spiral.

Contemporary by Davis Marbles

The Davis family of Pennsboro, West Virginia has been making handmade marbles for many years. This early marble is signed by Jim Davis.

To see the superior quality of Davis Marbles, visit their website by CLICKING HERE.

Akro Agate Lemonades and Limeades

"Ades" are a speclialized type of corkscrew with a fluorescent milky white base, opaque white, and a spiral of color.

Tornado Swirl

Semi-translucent, with a black spiral core and one pink band, this small 5/8" beauty is hard to define. However, it was definitely handmade in Germany in the late 1800s.

Rainbow by Mark Matthews Glass

Rainbows, gum balls, animal prints, ribbon swirls, geometric, air trap & filigrana. . . Mark Matthews at his finest!!!!!

To visit Mark's website and see his amazing work CLICK HERE.

Maslach Art Glass

Ribbons and Lace.....Steven Maslach produced his first handmade marbles in 1978.

People often ask me what marbles like these are worth. Of course I always tell them that worth and value are different terms. Regarding worth, if I had my choice between these marbles . . . and say . . . my first born, I'd have to think about it for a while. Ah heck, I've thought long enough . . . sorry Jim, I'm keeping the marbles. ;) To understand my appreciation for Steven's work, visit his website by CLICKING HERE.

Vitro Confetti Marble

An experimental marble, just over one hundred of these 5/8" marbles were made.

Marble Associations:

Here is a continually updated list of Marble Associations. If you would like me to add your group, then send me an email at marbleforum@gmail.com

Name: International Association of Marble Collectors
Contact Name: Dani & Ernie Kirk
Email: zaboo222@comcast.net
Website: http://www.iamc.us/

Name: Amana Marble Meet
Location: Amana, IA
Website: http://www.amanamarble.com/

Name: Marble Collectors Society of America
Address: P.O. Box 222, Trumbull, CT 0661

Name: West Virginia Marble Collectors Club
Address: c/o Ruby Sellers 817 Hardy Hill Rd, Saint Marys WV 26170
Contact Name: Ruby Sellers
Website: http://www.westvirginiamarblecollectorsclub.com/

Name: Texas Marble Collectors
Address: P O Box 875 Pflugerville, TX 78691
Contact: 512-751-2945
Website: http://www.texasmarblecollectors.com/
Email: Cdc2@flash.net

Name: Midwest Marble Club
Address: 320 Jewel Lane Plymouth , MN 55447
Contact: 612-247-3860
Email: mhegstrom@bwig.net

Name: Indiana Marble Club
Address: 915 W Superior St Kokomo IN, 46901
Contact Name: Beth & Greg Morris 765-457-2477
Contact Email: dixieh7961@aol.com
Website: http://www.indianasmarbleclub.com/

Name: Badger Marble Club
Address:P O Box 194 Waunakee, WI 53597
Contact Name: Bill Bass 608-723-6138
Contact Email: ibmarbles@pcii.net
Website: http://www.badgermarbleclub.com/

Buckeye Marble Collectors Club
Address: P O Box 6 Franklin, OH 45005
Contact Name: Brian Estepp 614-863-5350
Contact Email: bemarbles@aol.com
Website: http://www.buckeyemarble.com/

Akro Agate Collectors Club
Address: 10 Bailey Street Clarksburg, WV 26301
Contact: 304-624-4523

Blue Ridge Marble Club
Address: 2401 Brookmont Court Richmond, VA 23233
Contact: 804-754-8371
Email: rdowdy-cp@mindspring.com

Great Plains Marble Club
Address: 508 South St Glenwood, IA 51534
Contact: 402-572-7512
Email: rkatsl@cox.net

Kansas City Marble Club
Address: 5637 Noland Road Shawnee, KS 66216
Contact: 816-365-8602
Email: craig@buymarbles.com

Oklahoma Marble Collectors
Address: 16328 South Peoria Bixby, OK 74004
Contact: 918-322-9221

West Virginia Marble Club
Address: Rt 3, Box 91 Washington, WV 26181
Contact: 304-428-4234
Email: marbleannie@juno.c0m