NOTE: QUITE BY CHANCE i came across — “1945 to 1955 was the great decade of
marble playing”, I remembered that well, In truth , however, marble games date back
deep in human history to Rome and Egypt and even the stone age perhaps. My
time was 1947 to 1949. I learned an important lesson. Find it,
EPISODE 1,011: HOW I LOST MY MARBLES… AND WAS RESCUED IN 1948 AT KENT PUBLIC SCHOOL
alanskeoch
feb. 5, 2024
Alan and Eric Skeoch…marble playing ages
Enter: Karl Stahlberg
“ Alan, we could win a lot of marbles with this cigar box.”
:How?”
“Just cut three little holes with a coping saw”
“same as the big kids have done?”
“different size holes…big, medium, and small”
“Then we will be in the Marble business….gambling”
Hope and pray none of our customers get a marble in
the smell hole…Pay out 10 if they do i”
“Risky”
Imagine the cigar box with three holes cut in the side….holes that will fit a marble with ease and with difficulty
I was ten years old in 1948 and my best friend was Karl Stahlberg.
He was toughrer then man me …known to the police, as some said.
How can a 10 year old be known to the police? Nice guy to me. I had a couple
of lunches with Karl and his mom, No father around. Tiny two rooms.]
In 1948 I was only vaguely aware of World War II. It never occurred to
me that Karl’s surname might be German which could explain Karl’s troubles.
Hard to say,
Karl had big plans for both of us.
“We can cash in on the marble craze. Using this cigar box and a few marbles.
why should all the big guys make all the profits?”
At recess and lunch time the big guys set up shop on the sunny south side
of Kent Ublic School in West Toronto. Cigar boxes mostly…with holes
marked by numbers 1, 3 and 10.
HOW THE GREAT PLAN WENT SOUTH
“ALAN, set the cigar box here…beside the others…while I go and
see if I can get some marbles as back up.”
“You mean we have none?”
“Don’t worry…nobody will get a marble through the 10 slot.”
And Karl was gone, Worse! A hot shooter put a marble through the 10 slot
first roll.. And he wanted to be paid his 10 marble winnings right away…called me a
welcher (if he knew that word) A small crowd gathered some of whom were very hostile.
“I’ll pay when Karl gets here.”
“”Who is Karl?”
Here are some Australian marble players. Nine year olds plaYING ‘closest to the wall ] but there is no wall.
Here are some British boys playing the “knock it out of the circle”
using marble boulder.
assortment of marbles with a big boulder
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‘Games like this were played by us all, remember?
Lesson ….avoid debt
alan
P.S. My brother Eric remembers Karl’s comment
“Stop for a second. I need to light a cigarette.” TEN year old
when did you start smoking? When did you stop?