Marbles Overview: Marbles is the name of a popular children's pastime played many years ago.
Confusingly Marbles describes the game, and the small balls used to play.
Where you would use a bowling ball to play bowling, you would use a marble to play marbles.
This game from the past is now making a comeback in school yards across the country.
The Objects / Balls.
Marbles are typically created from glass spheres, though the game is so old there have been clay balls discovered from ancient Egypt.
Modern day marbles come in two sizes - the standard small size, usually smaller then a ½ inch, and the larger marbles which can be up to 4 inches.
There are many colors and designs to choose from - the most common is the cat's eye marbles - marbles with a line of color within, resembling the eye of a cat.
This type of marble can also be refered to as a "Toothpaste" marble.
The following list is generally regarded as all types of marbles: Toothpaste, Turtle, Ade, Oxblood, Oilie, Pearls, Lutz, Onionskin, Clambroth, Cat's Eye, Devil's Eye, Beachball, Aggie, Bumblebee, China, Plaster, Commie, Bennington, Crock, Croton, Crystal, Princess, Galaxy, Indian, Mica, Sulphide, Tiger.
The Game(s).
Marbles are a popular game from the nineties.
Very similar to "bowls" the idea of the game was to get one of your smaller marbles as close to the larger marble as possible.
This is just one example of a game of marbles.
There are many styles of game, some games are also specific to certain countries.
There are literally 100's of different games of marbles.
Apart from the one above, another very popular game is trying to get one of your marbles down a hole.
This does not require a larger marble to aim for.
Collectibles.
Because of the age of the game  - certain types are very collectible.
Some marbles may also be made from semi precious stones, both adding value to what could be perceived as a cheap glass marble.
Conclusion.
Marbles are a wonderful hobby to get into - and with the return of the game, it will soon be popular in the school yards as it was when your parents were children.
It is a great way for grandparents and parents to teach their children a fun part of their own childhood.