Artist Norman Rockwell’s illustration “Marble Champ” beautifully depicts the intense competition of marble play. (Image courtesy of Etsy)

Knuckle Down

Marbles remain the small wonder of the toy world

By Corbin Crable

There’s plenty of debate surrounding exactly where the marble originated, but one thing is certain – whether you’re 8 or 80, these tiny toys still seem to amaze us.

Game of the pharaohs

Though games of marbles have been played for at least 3,000 years (Egypt’s boy pharaoh King Tutankhamen was even buried with his), we at least know that the name “marble” came from Nurem-berg, Germany, in the early 16th century…

In this issue…

Features

Smack Dab in the Middle

Good Eye

Covering Quilts

Memory Lane Musings

Mid-America News

Books for Collectors

Vintage Discoveries

Feature Articles

A Message From Our Editor

Don’t lose your marbles: American games at the turn of the century

by Corbin Crable

Get your favorite cat’s eye polished, because in this issue of Discover Vintage America, we’ll be doing a deep dive into the history of marbles (and, in case you didn’t know, the phrase “lose my marbles” in reference to losing one’s mental faculties, originated in the late 19th century, about the same time as glass marbles themselves). But before we do, let’s take a quick look at other popular American games in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

As work hours decreased in the 19th century, Americans began being able to enjoy a bit more free time…