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Arts & crafts

Looking after my marbles!

(18 Posts)
MrsPickle Wed 07-Sep-22 15:52:04

Snigger, if you must!!! After all, none of us want to lose them.

Mine, however, have been with me since childhood and most were Mum's, making them over 100 years old (see, she looked after hers, too!!).
I have about a hundred, which have recently been much treasured by the Grandkids.
But it's time to put away childish pleasures and Marble run is off to the charidee shop, with its set of 6 modern marbles, to bring pleasure to more young minds.

I have spent a good hour down memory lane this afternoon, sorting and it got me thinking: is there any way I can display them, which will keep them free from dust?

And are there any toys that somehow, against all odds, have survived and are still with you?

vampirequeen Wed 07-Sep-22 16:06:38

You may get some ideas from here.

www.pinterest.co.uk/amyfreeman321/marble-display/

AreWeThereYet Wed 07-Sep-22 16:07:30

I remember a post on GN from someone who had glued them into the holes in her fence, so the sun shone through them. I thought that was a brilliant idea and wished I had a fence to do the same thing.

Greyduster Wed 07-Sep-22 17:01:24

MrsPickle seeing those took me right back to my childhood. Tears were shed for treasured specimens lost in the heat of competition! I hope you find a way to display them!

Jaylou Wed 07-Sep-22 17:28:19

Get some clear adhesive and glue them together in a nice abstract design that will be a unique sculpture that can be displayed and handed down the family.

PollyDolly Wed 07-Sep-22 17:32:58

Oh, this has brought back some lovely memories for me. I was never without a bag of marbles when I was little but I was never allowed to borrow one of my brothers "steelies"! Anyone remember those?

Elegran Wed 07-Sep-22 17:53:47

You could put them into a clear glass jar with a lid and stand it on a sunny windowsill. Under them hide a piece of paper that tells the reader what you have told us - their age and provenance and how you have treasured them since childhood. If they get sent to the charidee shop after you have gone, their future owner will know their history and hopefully tresure them too.

storynanny Wed 07-Sep-22 17:57:13

I’d put them in a lovely clear glass bowl and display them, maybe add tiny fairy lights at Christmas?

Elizabeth27 Wed 07-Sep-22 18:03:00

The old ones can be worth a lot of money, I have seen them in auctions and on ebay making over £100 each if you did not want to keep them.

Greyduster Wed 07-Sep-22 18:08:31

Elizabeth27

The old ones can be worth a lot of money, I have seen them in auctions and on ebay making over £100 each if you did not want to keep them.

That doesn’t surprise me at all; some of the old ones were real beauties.

Lucca Wed 07-Sep-22 18:22:48

I have this

Happysexagenarian Sun 11-Sep-22 09:55:34

I have a biscuit tin of marbles in the loft - I think. Some of them I bought, some I won, but most of them were my grandfather's who taught me to play marbles. Most of them are glass with beautiful colourful patterns, but also some stone ones, marble, malachite and what looks like lapis lazuli. They're various sizes and some are quite big. My favourite was always a large one that looks like a millefiori paper weight. I'd forgotten all about them until I read this post. I'll have to dig them out and take another look at them, it would be nice to display them somehow.

Happysexagenarian Sun 11-Sep-22 10:01:24

Lucca that's a lovely solitaire set.
I have often seen them at craft fairs but they were always too expensive for me. Now I'm wondering if I could make the board on our router. Hmmm......hmm

CatsCatsCats Sun 11-Sep-22 10:06:21

No marbles (lost mine ages ago!) but I do have a white teddy on my bed that was a present for my first Christmas.

Chestnut Sun 11-Sep-22 10:11:05

AreWeThereYet

I remember a post on GN from someone who had glued them into the holes in her fence, so the sun shone through them. I thought that was a brilliant idea and wished I had a fence to do the same thing.

Aren't we advised not to put glass outside during the hot dry weather due to fire risk? During the heatwave we had hundreds of fires breaking out, I have no idea why but they are nearly always man made, and some were certainly caused by glass in the sun. Likewise, I'd never put glass ornaments on a sunny window ledge.

NotSpaghetti Sun 11-Sep-22 10:32:39

I have a lovely "Chinese Checkers" board... why not have someone drill large-ish holes in a board in a pattern, paint the board and use it in a deep picture frame to display them? Cheap deep frames in places such as IKEA - cut the board to fit.

NotSpaghetti Sun 11-Sep-22 10:36:32

Mine is like this. You can drill the holes where you fancy. It would keep them in place.

Lucca Tue 13-Sep-22 14:16:12

Happysexagenarian

Lucca that's a lovely solitaire set.
I have often seen them at craft fairs but they were always too expensive for me. Now I'm wondering if I could make the board on our router. Hmmm......hmm

Make me an offer ?