Learn how to play marbles by learning from a friend or reading information on a website. A popular form of the game involves marking the playing area using a stick, string or chalk, depending on the surface on which you are playing. For instance, if you are playing marbles on the floor, then it may be relatively easy to mark the playing area with a long piece of string. This string should be shaped into a large circle on the floor. This circle is called the ring line. There are two parallel pieces of string running tangent to the circle. One is called the lag line and the other the string is the pitch line. The smaller marbles are placed in a cross shape in the middle of the circle. The objective of the game is to knock the target marbles or an opponent's marble outside of the ring or to hit another marble while the shooter marble, which is the largest marble, is in the ring.
Learn about the history of marbles by visiting resources like the American Toy Marble Museum in Ohio. The game of marbles has been around since ancient times. The large scale manufacturing of marbles in the U.S. started in the last 1800's when Samuel C. Dyke started his company in Akron, Ohio. He started to mass produce clay marbles, which were called "commies" since they were so common. The mass production of these toys reduced their price, making it possible for children to purchase these toys themselves. The price of a bag of marbles was one penny.
Ever summer since 1922, The National Marbles Tournament is held in Wildwood, New Jersey. The players, called mibsters, are chosen from smaller city and county marbles competitions. The mibsters play during the four-day tournament, competing for college scholarships, national honors and various prizes. During the competition, there are also activities on the boardwalk, carnival rides, and many games of marbles.