Because marbles have been around for so many years, there are hundreds of games to play, while certain rules and terms are always the same.  Almost all marble games involve shooting a marble at one or more target marbles lying on the ground.  The shooting marble is called a shooter, taw or boss.  The target marble is called a mib or kimmie.

The usual technique of propelling a marble is known as knuckling.  Hook the marble in your index finger, with the knuckle resting on the ground.  Then, flick the marble with your thumb.  Lagging is a way of choosing who goes first.  Each player rolls a marble toward an agreed target.  The player whose marble is closest goes first.  That person is called a ringer.

When you play marbles, you play for keepsies or friendlies.  Keepsies means the players keep all the marbles they win; friendlies means everyone gets their marbles back at the end of the game.

Many of the games that are today played by children were originally played by adults.  U.S. presidents George Washington, John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln played marbles.  Jefferson not only enjoyed playing marbles but also showed off his marble collection to his guests.  Lincoln was described as a “marbles-playing terror,” whose specialty was a game called Old Bowler.

Marbles were played across the United States from the streets of old New York to the frontier.  In the book Tom Sawyer, Tom gets a dozen marbles as part of his payment for allowing his friends to whitewash his aunt’s fence.

Since 1922, when Macy’s Department Store in Philadelphia held a competition featuring seven boys and one girl, marble playing has been an organized sport in the United States.  Marble playing became so popular in the 1920s and 1930s that tournaments were run by many local playground and recreation departments.  Local winners were sent to the national marbles tournament, which for many years has taken place in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Girls were not allowed to participate in the national marbles tournament until 1948, when a special division was created for them after they made a run for the title.  Marble promoter, Berry Pink dreaded a tournament victory by a girl.  He feared that if a girl won, the sport would be labeled a game for sissies and boys would stop playing.