My Grandmother Houseworth passed away in April 1975 at the age of 91...she outlived a couple of Husbands, 2 sons, including my dad, and was a hard core Christian and Republican to the end. Her two daughters, Cecile and Mary Eva, a couple of Classics, lived with her(both had been childless but married and divorced) in the small town of Scott, Ohio. Cecile passed away in 1991 at the age of 90, Eva died in 1998 at 87.
They were classic pack rats, and right wing women's libbers, long before today's gutless left wing women even thought of the word....as I like to say, upon meeting today's Hillary and Obama's big mouth wife, they would probably kick their asses first and ask questions later.....anyway, they were also major league pack rats. After Eva entered a nursing home in Van Wert in 1995, I was "elected" to take care of her affairs(me being the only one working near Scott, and 1 of only 2, along with sister Marty, living in Ohio).
These women had a collection of everything....junk, collectibles, antiques, sea shells from Florida, and any and everything in between stored in the house that was originally built in 1839....after Eva died, it took months to sort out the good from the bad, and some, I never could figure out....I've still got a few thousand items, antiques, and collectibles in my garage and basement...some I sold, some I gave to the other Nieces and Nephews and some I kept.
The title of this post concerns a couple of thousand Marbles....if like me, you are a child of the 50s, I'm sure you had a collection of marbles....I remember growing up in Venice, Florida, my buddy the late Mike Graff and I, along with the other neighborhood kids would play marbles for hours...I became pretty good...one of the few things that I could beat Graff at...he was better at basketball and bowling(although I was pretty damn good for my age, he was a little better). The collection I have from Grandma Houseworth is a good variety, although way too many "clear" types....a few hundred "cat eyes" and others to go with them. If you check EBAY, marbles can go for quite a price these days...unlike baseball cards(I also have thousands) they have held their value and increased.......I, however, would be glad to part with mine for a full box of Arturo Fuentes Don Carlos #2 Cigars...those favorites of mine run about $300 for a box of 25....even a little too much for my blood....I get one on occasion, at $12 to $14 a stick.
10 comments:
HI,
I'm so glad to hear your stenosis pain is so reduced! I hope it lasts longer than the baseball season.
Be Well!
Pat, if you're not already aware, you may find it of interest to read about the Peltier Glass Company of Ottawa, IL. They began making marbles sometime during the early 1920s. The marbles were marketed under the Peltier name and also by M. Gropper & Sons.
I like the picture switch!
Hey, my kids still play marbles (and I beat them every time)!
(ps. I'm back, new site n'all.)
Ah, I still recall the pain and angst that came with losing your favorite shooter to some undeserving wretch...
Continuing on with what "Buck" stated. There was a good lesson learned by "losing your favorite shooter". You learned not to bet or gamble with something as important, and if you do, be prepared that someone might be better than you.
You learned how to become a good loser...and hold back those feelings. Nowadays, the various games kids play (usually under adult directorship) don't have a loser...everybody's a winner. They never get to experience and grow from having a loss....
You learned hand/eye coordination, but most importantly...Marbles got ya outta the house to be with yur friends and enjoy warm Spring & Summer days...
Oh...BTW...I lost my marbles many years ago... ;-)
I always liked agates and bumblebees, myself. Purees were nice too, you could wrap them in tin foil, boil them, drop them in cold water and they spider veined nicely.
Yep, I had a collection of marbles!
Always loved those things. Had a bunch when I was a kid, but I'm not sure where they are now. beautiful.
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