What is a Marble Pontil?

Marble Pontil Marks

• A pontil mark on a marble is often in the form of a swirl, but it also might be a rough spot. Certain manufacturers attempted to smooth off marble pontil marks. Dealers and collectors use a microscope or powerful magnifying glass to examine pontil marks on old toy marbles to help identify the marble. Pontil marks can be challenging to identify not only because some of them have been smoothed, but also because machine-made marbles can have rough spots from the manufacturing process that can be mistaken for a pontil mark.

How Marbles Were Made

• Some pontil marks result from the use of a solid or hollow tool called a "pontil." Another early method of marble making that resulted in pontil marks is cutting the marbles from a cane. If an old marble has two pontil marks, that means the maker cut the marble from a long cane of hot glass with a special tool that formed the marble. The marks show where the maker sheared the marble off the cane. Machine-made marbles don't have true pontil marks, which is why the existence of pontil marks proves that the marble is an antique.

Marble History

• The earliest marbles served functional purposes, long before manufacturers began making them for toys and games.Early bottles have pontil marks on their bases from the glassmaking process. A type of 19th-century bottle known as a "Codd bottle" contained handmade glass marbles that sealed the bottles by resting against a rubber ring inside the bottle. Archeologists theorize that children broke the bottles to get the marbles, according to the University of Illinois. Many valuable antique toy marbles come from Germany.

Marbles in Decor

• Old marbles add interest in display cases of old toys and in clear jars or bowls to show off the variety of colors. Arranging antique marbles in a sand tray or Zen garden on a table creates a focal point on a table or desk. The brilliant colors, swirled glass and the way these early examples of glass art catch the light makes a vivid conversation piece. Arranging marbles in a velvet-lined glass-topped display case with compartments organizes the marbles and protects them from any damage due to handling.