Fake Marbles
By Peter Caparelli

When a collectible begins to command high market values, fakes and reproductions creep onto the scene. Marbles are no exception!

Among the most prolific fakes are the “Atlanta Porcelains.” These marbles first appeared in 1994. The story is that they were unearthed during construction for the 1996 Olympics. The site was supposedly a now-defunct marble company, which produced the marbles during 1820-1837. Truth-be-told, there is no evidence that this factory existed - the story is hearsay. The Atlanta area was under the control of the Creek Indians until 1921, and was then only a very small town, at best, right on up through the 1840’s. These marbles were not known from any private collection before the “discovery.” Unfortunately, these are many people’s first experience with “collectible” marbles.

Another fraud is the fake poly bag scheme. These are clear plastic marble bags with a cardboard header featuring a collectible tie-in. Examples include advertising (soda, gasoline, Rio theatre premiums), Armed forces (army, navy, air force), Christmas (Santa’s Marbles), Black memorabilia (Watermelon marbles) or the Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts. At least some of these were distributed out of Florida, through a man who sold the blank header cards, bulk marbles, and bags. Unscrupulous dealers added the new marbles to the new bags, and stapled on the vintage-looking header cards, which are often artificially aged. The marbles are a dead give-a-away, if you know your stuff! Unfortunately, many new marbles look like vintage marbles to the uninitiated.

A third common fake is the logo or printed marble. Several modern companies print insignias onto marbles. Some of these marbles have been offered as old - John Deere and Buick are two examples that have been fraudulently offered to the marble collecting community as vintage marbles. Many other examples exist, including designs that copy, or are inspired by genuine vintage printed marbles produced by Peltier Glass Co. in the 1930’s. These are often sold as old by dealers who do not know any better.

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg! As with any hobby, it is in your own best interest to educate yourself, especially before you make any big purchases. These fakes owe their success to ignorance. Educate yourself, and you can avoid these common pitfalls and enjoy marble collecting as the exciting and rewarding hobby that it is.


Illustration shows fake watermelon marbles. Watermelons are a very rare Marble King type from the 1950s which easily command $500-$750 each. In 1996, Marble King produced a limited run of green and red marbles which collectors have dubbed ninja turtles. They bear similar colors and similar (but not exact) patterns. It wasn't long before they showed up in this fake poly bag. It wholesales for a dollar or two, but has often been run up very high on eBay, by new collectors who think they are looking at a bag of vintage 1950s Watermelons. Watermelon is a collector name, they were never packaged under that name, except in fake bags. These same marbles are packed into the fake Coca Cola Christmas marbles.


The author is proprietor of www.landofmarbles.com, a site aimed at providing collectors and enthusiasts around the world with a reliable source for information and products related to the hobbies of marble play and collecting.