Marbles I Haven’t Lost

By Ken Foust

SOME COLLECTABLES are so small they practically beg to be misplaced. The bronze coins of the late Roman Empire make today’s “small change” look big. Pin-back buttons are often so tiny if you get close enough to the wearer to read one, you may get slapped.

And antique swirl marbles exist that are barely half an inch wide. Those German candy-striped gems were the first thing I ever collected; and I started when I was eight. I’m a bit older now, but the tiny strands of rich color inside them still intrigue me.

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