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
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