Small, spherical and splashed in colours or red, yellow or blue, marbles or goli are usually made from glass, clay or agate. Many versions of the game exist. The most common way is the Ringer which involves drawing a circle in the sand while players take turns to knock their opponents’ marbles out of the circle with their own marbles. Another alternative has one shooting marbles at target marbles or into ‘rolley holes’ which are essentially holes in the ground. A sly player may use this strategy of hitting a marble into a protected area should it miss the target.

Like many children games, rules are made up along the way and it’s of no surprise that a simple game as marbles can have complex rules concocted by youngsters!

Other versions of the game include using a taw or a shooter to fire the marbles. Marbles also come in all sizes. Any marble larger than average can be called a boulder, masher, popper, bowler or even a Biggie, while one that’s smaller can be termed a peawee or mini. For players obsessed with size (most men are!), the largest marble of all is a Grandfather which can be the almost the size of a pool table ball or tennis ball.

Marble collecting is also a trend and is a hobby of over 400 million people worldwide. The value of these ornate spheres are classified by condition, size, type, artisan, style, scarcity and even age! Though if you’re an ugly marble, hope isn’t lost for an unattractive but rare marble is just as valuable as those of exquisite quality!