Marble Tournaments
Marbles
tournaments gave a huge sales boost for the American toy marble industry.
The links below show our museum’s involvement, participation or
sponsorship of various marble tournaments.
The
Akron District Marbles Tournament
This year the
American Marble & Toy Museum will sponsor and celebrate the 80th
anniversary of The Akron District Marbles Tournament. Begun in 1923 as a
promotion of the Akron Times Press, the tournament continued until 1929
when the Akron Beacon Journal bought out the Press and dropped the marbles
tournament. The American Legion sponsored the tournament for a number of
years thereafter, but they stopped as well in the early 1950’s.
In 1990 The
American Marble & Toy Museum sponsored it’s first champ to the
National Marbles Tournament, a young champ from Missouri without the means
to cover the fees and transportation costs. In a similar situation we
sponsored a young champion from Tennessee to the Nationals.
In 1991 we
brought back the Akron District Marbles Tournament and started sending the
Akron champs to compete at the National’s.
In 1928 Akron’s
Al Huey went on to win the National Marbles Tournament and the following
year, 1929, Akron’s Mike Batche was the runner-up.
Samuel C. Dyke,
father of the American toy marble assisted in the start-up of the National
Marbles Tournament in 1923, was an honored guest at the tournament, had as
much fun as any of the young champs competing and this was one of the last
things he did before his passing.
Akron District Marbles Tournament
Shooting on a 10” ring - the sized used at the Nationals - for the first time is more than a bit intimidating
Both boys and girls play in the Akron District Marbles Tournament.
Marble tournaments attract a lot of attention from the press, just as they did 80 years ago.
Here a cameraman from the local TV station films the opening for their nightly news program.
Volunteer, Ula Wiedie - Samuel C. Dyke’s granddaughter -
helps out at the registration booth at the Akron District Marbles Tournament.
1993 Akron District Marbles Tournament, Boy’s Champion and runner up
The National
Marbles Tournament
The winners of
the Akron District Marbles Tournament get to spend a week at the National
Marbles Tournament in Wildwood, New Jersey, where they enjoy an experience
they will carry with them throughout lives – and play marbles too.
Scenes from the National Marbles Tournament in Wildwood New Jersey.
Marble King
Marble Tournaments
Coming
Soon
Rolley
Hole
Held at the end
of summer in Tennessee’s Standing Stone State Park, The Rolley Hole
Tournament is the world’s most challenging marble tournament where only
the finest players in the world can hope to compete. It is a traditional
game played by the men who live in the Kentucky/Tennessee tobacco country
around Standing Stone State Park.
Scenes
from The Rolley Hole Tournament weekend at Standing Stone State Park
Play on a private Rolley Hole Court in Kentucky
Play on the Official Tournament Court at Standing Stone State Park.
MAKING FLINT MARBLES FOR ROLLEY HOLE PLAY
Initial shaping of a flint on a diamond-grinding wheel
Turning the flint into a sphere- using a chunk of carborundum with a semispherical depression, the flint is pressed against a chunk of rubber tire attached to an electric motion – causing the flint to spin wildly in all different directions against the carborundum.
Finishing and polishing the flint, in the same manner as above, but using a chunk of sandstone.
Completed Rolley Hole flint marbles – typically 7/8” in diameter – made specifically to the size required by each player. A glass or natural agate marble could never stand up to the punishing force exerted by the knuckles of a Rolley Hole player. These are the hardest marbles known to exist and the area around Standing Stone State Park in Tennessee the only area in which flint marbles are made.
The World Marbles Championship
In 1992 two
groups of American’s marble players challenged the British marbles
players to determine the best marble players in the world. Lance Lew,
Marketing Director of the Hill Top Shopping Centers, donated a sliver cup
and the American Marble & Toy Museum commissioned the building of a
World Marbles Championship Trophy to present to the winner. It was called
the Roger Howdeyshell Memorial Trophy and the idea was for it to be like
the America’s Cup is to sailboat racing. The tournament was held at the
Greyhound Pub in Tinsely Green, England.
The British have
a tradition of playing marbles on Good Friday and have always called their
tournament The World Marbles Championship. However, the only players that
normally play in this tournament are local pub-hounds who have a great
time playing marbles. In England, un-like the United States, marbles is an
adult’s sport. Typically the patrons of one pub challenge the patrons of
another pub to a game of marbles. It’s similar in nature to dart
throwing competitions, whereas the participants shoot marbles with one
hand while holding a quart of warm beer in the other. Like I said, these
Brits have great fun playing marbles.
The American’s
fielded two teams. One consisted of former National Marbles Champions,
were sponsored by and played as the “Marble King” team. The other team
consisted of a group of
Rolley Hole players from Kentucky and Tennessee.
The match
didn’t present much competition at all. The Rolley Hole players cleaned
up, the Marble King team made a respectable try and the local Brits. . . they made a wonderfully intemperate good time of it.
The Roger Howdeyshell Memorial Trophy now resides at the National Marbles Tournament Hall of Fame in Wildwood, NJ. in a trophy case.
The Roger Howdeyshell Memorial – World Marbles Championship Trophy.
The Marble King Team, six former National Marble Champions and their runner-up trophy.
Beri Fox of Marble King, Inc. daughter of the late Roger Howdeyshell holding her father’s trophy. On the left is Michael Cohill representing the American Marble & Toy Museum. On the right with the clip board in hand is Sam McCarthy of the ‘British Board of Marbles Control’ – host of the World Marbles Championship.
Click on the picture above to see this image over 3 feet long!
This is a panoramic photo of the World Marbles Championship that was pieced together by Michael.