A marble is a small, spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, plastic or agate. These balls vary in size but most commonly are about 1/2 inch to 1 inch in diameter. Marbles were mentioned in Roman literature and there are many examples from Ancient Egypt.

Marbles were first made in Germany in the 1800s and the game became popular throughout the United States and other countries. Some of the first glass marbles produced in the United States were made in Akron, Ohio, in the 1890s. Various games can be played with marbles; for example, Chinese Checkers, a board game for two to six players using marbles as game pieces.

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