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 those days, marbles were made primarily of stone like agate or limestone (and, wonder of wonders, even marble itself). Ceramic marbles began to be mass produced in the late 19th century.
Around that time, glass, too, was being handcrafted into marbles, and we can also credit the Germans with the invention of marble scissors (“The orb began at the end of a rod of semi-molten glass, and after a blob was formed, those special scissors sliced it off,” according to The Art of Toys website). The first glass marbles made by machine rolled off the line in 1903.

“Glass marbles quickly dominated the market, particularly after industrial mach-ines made them more efficiently, lowering the price,” according to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. “Valued as much for their beauty as the games played with them, marbles inspired one 19th-century enthusiast to describe the ‘twisted spiral of colored filament’ in glass marbles as ‘thin music translated into colored glass.’”

Marbles made by machine

Handmade marbles began to be produced in smaller quantities as machine-made marbles began to dominate the market.

“American companies like Akro, Agate, Peltier Glass and Master Made Marbles began to really churn them out. They were made out of all sorts of materials: baked clay, glass, steel, plastic, onyx, and agate,” according to The Art of Toys. “The machines also meant better shooting marbles, because there were no nicks or misshapes like there were with the handmades. Their names were based on a marble’s particular use (a Shooter, for instance), the material it was made of (Steelies from steel, Allys from alabaster), or its appearance (Flints, Cloudies, Corkscrews, Peerless Patches, etc.).”

The Cat’s (Eye) meow

One of the most popular types of marbles, the Cat’s Eye, were first made in Japan in the years immediately following World War II and soared in popularity throughout the 1950s and ‘60s (In the 1970s, during the arts and crafts movement, handmade marbles became popular once more). Cat’s Eyes are marbles that contain eye-shaped colored cores that have been injected into the inside of the marble.

“Cat’s Eyes have been so much a predominant marble in more recent decades that many people not versed in marble jargon refer to most any marble generically as a Cat’s Eye,” David Chamber-lain of West Virginia’s American Museum of Glass writes in a post on the museum’s blog. “I’ve heard this over and over again, hundreds of times out there in non-marble venues shops, antique and collectible shows, and flea markets. I like to refer to it as being in the marble trenches! And 80 percent of those people when mentioning Cat’s Eyes do so with great affection.”

Though many glass marble companies hit the market beginning in the early 1900s, only one exists today in the U.S. – Marble King, based in West Virginia.

Early machine-made marbles include faint seams where the molten glass joined together. Other identifiers of older machine-mades are color layering (color blends made by feeding separate glass streams into the mach-ines), surface quality (early machine-made marbles are smooth and glossy), and pattern signatures (swirls and twists may help identify the company or maker).

Common modern or toy marbles are made of uniform glass without layers, the colors are bright and even, they are smooth and perfect and will lack the bubbles you would find in handmade pieces. Handmade marbles, meanwhile, have pontil marks (small rough spots made when the the marble was formed at the end of a glass rod and detached while molten), contain subtle imperfections, and contain tiny air bubbles, faint ripples, or layered glass.
For more information about the history of marbles or the process for making handmade marbles, call the Moon Marble Co. at 913-441-1432 or visit www.moonmarble.com.

For nearly a century, Fiesta dinnerware has added a splash of bold color to America’s meals, with their product line as diverse as the rainbow of hues in which you can find them.

Fiesta debuts with Art Deco

Often referred to as “Fiestaware,” the West Virginia-based Fiesta Tableware Co. (which, until a few years ago, was known as the Homer Laughlin China Co.) launched the line of ceramic glazed tableware in 1936. Immediately recognizable by its Art Deco style, the original pieces were designed by Homer Laughlin’s art director, Frederick Hurten Rhead. Rhead, a ceramicist, worked for the company for 15 years, from 1927 until his death in 1942.

(Rhead) eventually came up with Fiestaware’s pattern of concentric circles, imprinted on every item, that gives pieces the look of having been handcrafted on a pottery wheel and then hand-fired in a kiln,” according to a 2002 New York Times article by Kelly Alexander. “But Rhead’s stroke of genius came when he decided to glaze his china in brilliant color -- a departure from the English all-white tradition.” Currently, Fiestaware comes in a lineup of 12 colors; early advertisements for Fiesta tableware stated that the product line’s colors were inspired by “the colorful festivals of Mexico.”
Our national attraction to Fiesta can be attributed to not only its colors and design, but its affordability, too. Whether buying in sets or mixing and matching pieces, from the very beginning, Fiestaware could make any dinner party pop, and its variety make the brand highly collectible still. In fact, it remains the most often-requested casual dinnerware on bridal registries, according to an article by Wayne Curtis in American Heritage.

More than just dishes

In Fiesta’s early days, the line included not only dishes, but other occasional items like candlestick holders, vases, and ash trays. By 1940, just four years into its existence, the Fiesta line expanded to include items like relish trays and tea pots; at one point, the Fiesta line included a total of 64 different pieces, many of them now discontinued.

Throughout World War II, like so many other industries, Homer Laughlin was forced to scale back its production on all products to focus their production on war efforts. And, like so many other companies, public demand for their products – Fiestaware included – saw a decline. By the end of the war, the number of items offered in the line fell by a third.

Demand for the line’s more traditional pieces, however, remained strong, with sales hitting a peak in 1948. The Fiesta name, thanks to years of strong mass marketing efforts, was known for its vibrant color and Art Deco style, and ownership of Fiesta pieces became a status symbol for middle-class Americans.

When it comes to collectibles, nobody beats Coca-Cola.

The fizzy beverage that has been a household name for nearly 150 years is much, much more than a product that helps quench your thirst. Its brand recognition has garnered generations of fans across the globe. It’s said that 94% of the world’s population can identify the brand’s red and white logo, and that the phrase “Coca-Cola” is the second most understood phrase in the world, right after ‘okay.’ Currently, Coca-Cola can be found in more than 200 countries. The brand hasn’t only influenced the food and beverage industry, but pop culture as well (no pun intended).

A refreshing brand

Coca-Cola has long also been a giant in the antiques industry. Coca-Cola collectibles of every type have spread the word about “the Pause That Refreshes” in the form of coolers, bottles, calendars, clothing, stuffed animals, serving trays, and more. Collectors clubs have brought collectors together around the world, too, with regular conventions allowing collectors to buy, sell, and trade every item imaginable. Regionally, the Mid-America Chapter serves Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa (its 50th anniversary show is coming up, from April 17-18 in Independence, MO); the city of St. Louis alone has its very own chapter, the Gateway to the West Chapter.

According to one historian, Coca-Cola’s logo began to appear on regular, everyday items you might find around the house.

“The marketers were tremendously creative in producing things that you’d carry on your person, things like wallets, purses, cufflinks, pocket mirrors for the ladies, bookmarks, stamp holders, and notebooks. Let’s say your wallet has a Coca-Cola emblem on it,” Phil Mooney, former archivist for the Coca-Cola Co. told Collectors Weekly in 2009. “Well, every time you pull out that wallet to pay a bill, it was a reminder to try a Coca-Cola. Or say you had a lady’s pocket mirror. Every time you adjusted your make-up, you’d get that reminder as well. All of these items had a very utilitarian element—they were things that you used every day in the course of living your daily life. Yet each was an invitation for you to try a glass or a bottle of Coca-Cola.” 

The soda with a place in history

Until its invention, Mooney explains, beverages were usually fruit flavored. Cola itself was a new product, and the company pulled out all the proverbial stops to get consumers to give it a try. That meant putting the logo on items such as clocks in drug stores and on scales at the pharmacist’s desk. It was a strategy that worked, and the advertising found its way to even more items as the 19th century ended and the 20th century began. Mooney said he especially enjoys Coca-Cola antiques made during two specific periods.

“I like the turn-of-the-century Coca-Cola antiques. They have that wonderful Victorian quality to them. The very ornate trays with those fashionably dressed women on them immediately take you back to that period in our history,” Mooney said. “I also like the advertising that we did in the 1920s. If you read history and literature, you probably already have a picture in your mind of what people looked like in the 1920s. … Well, advertisements for Coke in the 1920s capture all of that perfectly. If you want to know what a flapper looked like, just take a look at a Coca-Cola tray. Coca-Cola advertising from that period captured the lifestyle perfectly. It’s almost like a photographic record.”

According to Mooney, Coca-Cola’s brand recognition reached new levels in the post-World War II era, thanks to American soldiers being dispatched throughout the world and introducing local populations to the drink. For those GIs, Mooney said, “Coca-Cola was a strong reminder of home.”

You might know someone who collects Hummel figurines – those figurines of cherubic children at play or dutifully marching off to school, satchel in hand. Or perhaps you’re a collector yourself, boasting a sizable group of figurines displayed prominently in an antique cabinet or on a bookshelf or table. You’re certainly not alone; those precious porcelain treasures have enjoyed a cultlike following for decades.

An idea created in a convent

The figurines come from the most humble of beginnings. Sister Maria Innocentia, born Berta Hummel in Bavaria in 1909, possessed an artistic talent from a young age. The young Berta would tap into her blossoming imagination to sketch and paint idyllic scenes on postcards. In 1927, she moved to nearby Munich, Germany, in order to fine-tune her talent; however, a higher calling from God would lead Berta to a convent in the early 1930s, where she would take the name Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel.

“Within the walls and the beautiful surroundings of the centuries-old convent, she created the paintings and drawings that were to make her famous. Within these sacred confines, her artistic desires enjoyed unbounded impetus,” according to a 2021 article by Hummel expert Heidi Ann von Recklinghausen in Antique Trader. “As she adjusted to convent life, Maria Innocentia found fulfillment in teaching art to kindergarteners and leading the convent’s Vestments Department, designing clerical robes, church altar cloths and banners. She also began to sketch the endearing pictures of children that would someday make her famous.”

The children depicted in Sister Innocentia’s drawings all shared a distinct look, helping her work stand out among others, von Recklinghausen writes.
“These were stylized images of country children going to school, making music, playing simple games. The colors were muted, the style loose and sketchy. And the children were enchanting. Cheeks were plump, hair windswept,” she writes. “Shoes were too big, and socks sagged. The artwork was published in a variety of forms, including postcards, and Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel began to develop a reputation as a fresh talent in the world of religious art.”

Hummel figurines take shape

Though Sister Innocentia died of tuberculosis in 1946, she would live to see the children depicted in her postcards come to life as figurines, all thanks to a German company that specialized in porcelain and fine earthenware. The company, W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik, had been founded in 1871. By the time he gained control of the company in 1929, the owner, Franz Goebel, had decades of experience in the industry, crafting a name for himself and his company throughout Europe. Goebel first learned of Sister Innocentia’s popular postcards in December 1933, and the Sisters at her convent asked Goebel himself to reproduce the cards in some form; Goebel decided they would be best created as a series of figurines.

From their introduction in 1935, the figures were a hit, and though production was paused throughout World War II, it quickly resumed immediately following the war.

“During the American Occupation, the United States Military Occupation Government allowed Goebel to resume operation. This included the production of Hummel figurines,” von Recklinghausen writes. “During this period, the figurines became quite popular among U.S. servicemen in the occupation forces, and upon their return to the United States, many brought them home as gifts. This activity engendered a new popularity for Hummel figurines.”

When it comes to Christmas decorations, these collectors mean business.

And business continues to be good for Kansas City-based Hallmark Inc., which, while known globally for its greeting cards, is just as renowned for its annual new releases of keepsake Christmas ornaments.

The company itself, originally called ‘Hall Brothers,’ was founded in 1910 by 21-year-old J.C. Hall and his brothers, who seized upon the growing popularity of greeting cards in starting what would become a retail empire. Within 20 years, business was booming for Hallmark Inc. – so much so, that the Hall brothers signed the company’s first licensing agreement with Walt Disney – another household name who had roots in the Kansas City area – allowing Disney characters to appear on Hallmark greeting cards and other merchandise. It was only four years after the public debut of Mickey Mouse in Disney’s short animated film “Steamboat Willie.” The Hall Brothers company, meanwhile, would be renamed Hallmark Inc. in 1954.

A seasonal delight becomes a tradition

By the time the 1970s came about, Hallmark was a national brand with multiple licensing agreements. In 1973, the company began producing and selling a small line of Christmas ornaments, made up of just six glass ball ornaments and 12 figures made of yarn.

“Fifty years later, these ornaments that make up Hallmark’s collectibles history can be found for as little as $80 to several hundreds of dollars on sites such as eBay and hallmarkornaments.com, an online source for purchasing rare and hard to find Hallmark Keepsake and Christmas ornaments,” according to a 2022 article in The Journal of Antiques by its publisher, Maxine Carter-Lorne. “And it’s not just age that is setting value in the marketplace as Hallmark continues to intentionally release limited-run ornaments to drive the collector market.”

The publisher also writes that for novice and veteran collectors alike, there is one line of Hallmark Christmas ornaments that stands out above the rest.

“While the company has been producing ornaments since the early 1970s, its line of ‘Keepsake’ ornaments is the most collectible. Keepsake ornaments come in a Hallmark red box with the word “Keepsake” below the Hallmark name and are dated,” according to Carter-Lorne. “The collectibility of Keepsake ornaments is differentiated by a variety of qualifiers that include Storytellers, limited quantity designs, being part of a continuing series, using licensed characters, special convention and Hallmark member exclusives, and personalized ornaments.”

A dazzling cast of characters

Hallmark has even launched its very own Keepsake Ornament Club. Members of the club receive a bevy of benefits, including purchase coupons and reward dollars to be used on merchandise, access to purchase four new club-exclusive ornaments, early access to VIP member shopping events, quarterly newsletters, and members-only events and virtual experiences. Membership for 2026 is $49.99; for more information, visit https://www.hallmark.com/ornaments/keepsake-ornament-club/. Some of the most popular ornament series in the Keepsake line include Barbie, Star Wars, Peanuts, and The Wizard of Oz.

Characters from these series also appear in the company’s collectible figurines, popular all year long. In addition to the characters associated with these pop culture franchises, collectible figurines also include holiday and religious figures and scenes. Secular characters and symbols include the Grinch, Santa Claus, and even the leg lamp from the 1983 holiday cult classic “A Christmas Story.” Religious figures and symbols appearing on Hallmark’s figurines include angels and nativity scenes.

Hallmark’s collectible ornaments can be sold and traded on multiple websites – and they only continue to grow in popularity.
One of the most valuable Hallmark Keepsake ornaments has been their 2009 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation ‘Cousin Eddy’s RV’ ornament,” Carter-Lorne writes. “With the original box, some have recently sold on eBay for over $500. Another, released in 2015, is “Up On The Housetop,” one of which sold on eBay for $250 in September 2020.”

The collectors’ corner

Ornament and figurine collectors in cyberspace can connect to buy, sell, and trade their pieces on social media. Groups like ‘Hallmark Ornament Collectors’ currently clocks in at more than 17,000 members, while ‘Hallmark Ornament Collectors Chatter Group’ boasts 13,000 members. It’s a testament to the pieces’ status as cherished holiday treasures that will always make the season merry and bright.

The memories made with each Hallmark ornament hung on the Christmas tree and each figurine proudly displayed in one’s home are truly precious, according to the Keepsake Ornaments’ homepage on Hallmark.com – and you simply can’t put a price on that.

“What’s kept our brand strong for over 50 years?” the website asks. “A commitment to making memories, while creating a future that’s bright as can be.”