This page features three of the most respected names in vintage marble history. Each company brought its own style, technique, and innovation to marble making, and their work continues to be collected and studied today.
Below you’ll find brief introductions to each manufacturer, along with photo examples of their most recognizable and collectible marbles. Whether you’re learning to identify a few old finds or comparing styles for appraisal, this guide is a helpful starting point.
Christensen Agate Company
The Christensen Agate Company (CAC) began production in the 1920s in Cambridge, Ohio. Although the company operated for only a few short years, it had a major impact on marble history. Their marbles are known for bold colors, sharp patterns, and precision manufacturing. Many of their swirls and slags show excellent craftsmanship and remain highly collectible today.
Christensen’s single-stream swirls are especially well-regarded for their vivid color separation and clarity. They also produced transparent slags in electric greens, blues, and ambers, often with neatly centered white streams. Short production runs and excellent quality have made Christensen marbles some of the most sought-after examples in the hobby.
CAC Striped Opaque
CAC Swirl
CAC Flame Swirl
CAC Guinea
Peltier Glass Company
The Peltier Glass Company began producing marbles in the late 1920s in Ottawa, Illinois. They are well-known for their National Line Rainbos, Peerless Patches, and classic slags. Peltier used bright, primary colors and produced many iconic patch-style marbles that remain popular with collectors today.
Peltier’s craftsmanship included strong seams and clean color breaks. Their marbles often have a signature look that helps identify them in mixed groups. Some of their character-themed marbles and advertising pieces are especially collectible and can command high prices in top condition.
Peltier Golden Rebel
Peltier NLR Superman
Peltier Land & Sea
Peltier Blue Galaxy
Akro Agate Company
Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1910 and later relocated to Clarksburg, West Virginia, the Akro Agate Company was one of the most prolific and influential marble manufacturers in the United States. They are best known for their corkscrew marbles, which show a continuous spiral pattern that wraps from pontil to pontil.
Akro also produced slags, opaques, and hybrids in a wide range of colors. Many collectors look for their famous “Popeye” marbles, oxblood swirls, and colored base glass varieties. With high-volume output and excellent machine precision, Akro’s marbles are widely available but still highly collectible, especially in mint condition.
Akro Superman Corkskrew
Akro Sparkler
Akro Milky Oxblood
Akro Blue/Yellow Popeye
Want Help Identifying or Selling Your Marbles?
If you have a few marbles you are curious about or a collection you are ready to sell, I would be happy to take a look. Use the Free Marble Appraisal Form to send me photos. I review every submission personally and will get back to you quickly with honest feedback and a fair offer if I am interested.
