Marbles

Marbles are small hard balls made from glass, clay, or agate. They come in a variety colors and artistic design. There are some made by hand.

Marbles can also be the game played with these balls. It is classic game with a variety of ways to play.

Fast Facts

1. Price range: $2 to $25
2. Marbles date back to Roman and Egyptian times
3. Marbles are categorized by condition, size, and type
4. Larger marbles are called boulders, mashers, poppers, shooters, or taws
5. Usually made from glass

How to play ringer

1. Draw a 10 foot diameter circle on a hard surface, such as cement. Draw two parallel tangent lines along the either side of the circle.
2. To decide who goes first shoot each player shoots a marble from behind the first parallel line in the direction of the other. Who ever shoots closest to the far line gets to go first. This is called lagging.
3. Arrange thirteen marbles in an X shape in the center of the circle. Each player takes turns shooting from the edge of the circle with his or her shooter (a large marble meant for shooting). He gets all the marbles that he knocks out of the circle. If he knocks out any number of marbles and his shooter remains in the circle, he can go again shooting from where his shooter stopped.
4. If he doesn't knock anything out of the circle and his shooter lands in the circle he has to give the other player a chance to knock out his shooter from the circle to win all of the marbles he has scored so far. If the other player chooses he can just take a turn as normal.
5. Once the shooter goes out of the circle, with or without a score, the turn is over.
6. The winner is the one who gets the most marbles.
7. All players should agree from the beginning whether or not they are playing for keeps.

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