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Japanese Made Marbles There are original boxes of marbles that exist which are clearly marked "Made In Japan". The earliest produced boxes of this type are shown below:
There has been a healthy debate among marble collectors as to the date range that these marbles were produced as well as location of the factory. Just because something is marked "MADE IN JAPAN," doesn't mean that it was made on the island proper. It could have been produced in a territory of Japan as well; such as Korea or Taiwan (Formosa). Tracing the use of the term "MADE IN JAPAN" The McKinley Tariff act of 1891 required that imported items be marked with their country of origin. In 1914, this act was revised requiring that the words "Made in" would also be used. Finally, in 1921 the act was revised yet again to require that all country names occurred in English. It seems likely that any item marked "Made in Japan" was probably made or imported after 1921. Prior to 1921, they might have been labeled "MADE IN NIPPON". We also know that after WWII and during the US occupation of Japan, items that were made for export were marked "MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN", or simply "OCCUPIED JAPAN". So going with the above information, it would seem likely that the above boxes and marbles were more then likely produced sometime after 1921, but before the start of WWII and it's ramifications on the world economy. A conservative date would be sometime in 1940 when Japan aligned itself with the Axis powers of Germany and Italy. This gives us about a 20 year window of opportunity to look at for answers. For more information, see marble production methods, or visit the glossary page. Diagnostic Traits of These Marbles
The four photos shown above are close up views of marbles that are referred to as 'crease' pontil marbles. These are the same marbles are that found in the boxes above. These marks are not really pontils either but are really just drastic shear marks. The shear may have been hand operated or automatic. These marbles are believed to have been made in Japan since they are found in labeled boxes marked such. My idea on why these shear marks are so pronounced is because the glass that was employed to make these marbles had a shorter working range then compared with the glasses used at a company like M. F. Christensen & Son shown above. With more heat available for the forming process in the M.F. Christensen marbles above, the chilled area is able to compensate for localized heat loss better then the lower temperature Japanese glass and thus smooth itself over better. If the temperature is lowered on one spot on the marble through contact with a metal cutting device , a rough cut mark will be the result, because the metal tool will act as a heat sink and will deprive the glass area right near the cut line of the needed thermal energy that would act to soften the edges off and make the cut line less drastic. The lower temperature glass is at a disadvantage in terms of workability, but lowers the fuel consumption considerably; Japan is not rich in fossil fuels. This marble type is not a handmade- it is machine made. |
