-----Original Message-----
From: John A Eastman <[log in to unmask]>
To: Diane B Rice <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, April 13, 1998 7:59 PM
Subject: Re: Toy Marbles and Cooking Spheres
 
 
>Tom & Diane-
>
> If I'm understanding this discussion correctly, we're talking about clay
>marbles glazed with the "Bennington" (a.k.a. Rockingham) type glaze, which
>is an uneven, mottled, lead-based glaze (not to be confused with sponge
>decoration) common on yellowwares of the mid-to-late 19th century.   While
>the Bennington glaze is usually brown, it is not uncommon to find marbles
>with that type of glaze in brown, blue, and mixed blue-and-green.  One
>marble-collector book I have seen (and now I'm going to have to relocate
>the exact reference) says (and I paraphrase from memory) that most
>collections the author had seen fall out to: 75% brown, 20% blue, and 5%
>blue-&-green.  I have all 3 colors in my personal colection, and all of
>them have just one little flat spot where the marble was resting during
>firing and the glaze puddled down to the lowest point.    The coarse,
>irregular nature of the Bennington-type glaze makes for a good chance of
>bubbles or other irregularities marring the smooth glazed surface, thus
>producing the 3 spots you mentioned.
>
> I can say from pesonal experience that while it may make for an uneven
>roll, the little flat spot makes it much easier if you have to line up a
>bunch of the little buggers for a photograph.
>
> Everett Grist's "Big Book of Marbles" (1997, Collector Books, Paducah KY)
>has a photograph of an original manufacturer's box of Benningtons (circa
>1890), with the box stamped "Made in Germany", containing 8 brown and 4
>blue, and on a  few of them you can readily see the little flat spot (Grist
>1997:87).    And, as always, when dealing with turn-of-the-century
>assemblages, check out the Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs from this
>period.
>
>
>Hope this helps...
>-Jack Eastman
>
>----------
>> From: Diane B Rice <[log in to unmask]>
>> To:
>> Subject: Re: Toy Marbles and Cooking Spheres
>> Date: Sunday, April 12, 1998 8:27 PM
>>
>> Tom,
>>      There's a good possibility those three marks evenly spaced on the
>> surface of your glazed ceramic (?) marble are from the tripod it was
>placed
>> on while firing.        Diane
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Crist, Tom <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: Friday, April 10, 1998 11:55 AM
>> Subject: Toy Marbles and Cooking Spheres
>>
>>
>> >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
>> >[log in to unmask]
>>