This is an intriguing question.  I do not know if there are significant
differences between marbles used for play and similar spheres used for
cooking.  Even though the examples I mentioned were recovered from the
kitchen of the Collins-Jones House, I just assumed they represented lost
toys.  And everyone knows what happens when one assumes anything...
 
Is it possible that crockery marbles were made for use in the kitchen
rather than for play?  The one I recovered with three pock marks evenly
spaced across its surface certainly does not roll very smoothly and,
although I am not much of a marble-player, I would definitely be at a
disadvantage in playing against someone who used the perfectly smooth,
machine-made glass marbles.   What is the frequency of crockery marbles
recovered from kitchen contexts?  Are crockery marbles found in
significantly lower numbers (relative to other types of marbles) in
other rooms of historical structures?  Does anyone have better
information or insights on this topic?
 
 
 
Is there anything to distinguish these marbles from clay balls used to
aid
in the pre-baking of a pie shell?  (Nowadays most cooks use rice or
beans,
it keeps the pie shell from bubbling up and probably helps distribute
heat
throughout)  Sorry I don't have a reference on this, but have seen it at
the
Fort Snelling historical site.
 
Laura McIlrath
IAS, University of Minnesota
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