the things we keep #3

Many of the things we hang onto have little or no intrinsic value, or at least no value that we are aware of.  So why do we hang onto them at all.  Sometimes we love the look and feel of something in our hands, and we wonder if it really could have some worth beyond our own appreciation.  That’s the case with these marbles.

I found them in a bag in my father’s desk drawer when I was cleaning out his office.  Most marbles have very little value.  Many were mass produced and are literally a dime a dozen.  One company responsible for numerous marbles was the Arko Agate Company of Clarksburg, West Virginia.   They manufactured several different types.  Clearies, a combination of clear and colored glass, are the most common.  Opals are opaque marbles of one color such as white Moonies.  Flinties are opalescent and made in brown, yellow, green, red and blue.  Some later versions have tiny open ends at each bole and are called “fisheyes”.  Moonies are quite prolific, Flinties less so.  I suspect that the marbles that I possess are in that last category. 

Arko made one other type of marble called a Slag, and their distinctive version was called the Cornelian.  It’s a combination of red and white glass and is very similar to the “Brick” made by M.F. Christensen.  Perhaps my marbles are Cornelians.  

But there is one type of marble that is very collectible.  It is called the Oxblood.  It’s a deep rust red with black filaments swirling through it.  One oxblood marble on Ebay was listed for $149.  My heart did a little flutter when I saw that.  I’m really doubtful that mine fall into that category.  It will be up to my children to figure that out, along with all the other possessions that I will leave to them. 

In the meantime, I have placed my marbles in a bottle that sits in my powder room.  They were in a cut glass dish, but that was just too tempting for little hands that might drop them and break them or lose them.  Maybe when I get back from my summer vacation I will take them to an antique dealer and see what they say….just for future reference.

What kinds of things do you find difficult to part with?  Is it for sentimental reasons, because of their beauty or because of the stories they tell? 

Love, Liz