Customer Reviews

Marbles: Identification and Price Guide

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
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Easier to use than some of the other marble "standards." It is well organized and the values, based on the condition of the marble, are with the marbles. Some of the other books have you constantly flipping from back to front to find a value. The different types of antique handmade marbles are logically grouped for the most part and the machine made marbles are divided by manufacturer.There is even a section with examples from contemporary marble artists. My one complaint would be that there should be an index to make finding of the great many types of machine made marbles easier. Until something better comes along, I carry this with me to auctions, flea markets, antique shows or anywhere else I think there might be an opportunity to buy, sell or trade marbles.

I really have absolutely nothing against this wonderful work and in fact have nothing by praise. Of the many marble books out there, and there are many you will note, this one is at the top of the list for shear teaching power. It is also the one book (if you are silly enough to just carry one) that you should take with you to auctions and sales. I say this because of the ease of finding what you are looking for. At an auction or sale you simply do not have several hours to ponder and research...you need information and you need it fast. This work allows you to do that due to its wonderful organization.

Now, if you are interested in marbles, old marbles, and who isn't, then this is what I would term as a keystone or base book. It gives you a wonderful starting point to further your research. All the various machine marbles are covered; or at least most of them and the author has given us a good start at understanding, identification and source of the old clay marbles. I will state at this time though, that if you are interested in specialty marbles, such as clay, then you probably will need supplemental books to go along with this work. No one book can cover ever aspect of this fascinating subject...it would be impossible.

Also, let me warn you as to the pricing provided here. This is a good starting point and gives good information as to how to evaluate any given marble or category of marble, but DO NOT come under the impression that value is static. The cost or value of any given piece can vary greatly and change almost from day to day. Also geography has a lot to do with it. I know from personal experience that prices for any given item can swing tremendously from the East Coast to the Midwest. If you pay say one hundred dollars and think you are getting a bargain at the time, don't expect to triple your money in some other state or some other time. Like any antique or collectable, any given item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it or is willing to part with it for.

All in all though, this is one of the best and if you interests lie in this direction, then you certainly should have a copy of this one in your possession. I have been particularly impressed with the quality of photographs provided in this volume.

Don Blankenship

The Ozarks

Great Marble book. Informative with detailed photos. This book is for collectors old and new.

I got this book for my husband who had just bought seveal clay marbles. Although the book is very encompassing on differnt marbles and the photos are of top quality, my husband was disappointed in that there was very little on clay marbles but he would recomment it for an all-around book on marbles.

I found some old marbles that my dad had as a boy and wanted to know more about them. This book by Robert Block helped me identify and know more about his collection. Highly recommend it for the new learner.