BERT COHEN, MARBLE COLLECTOR

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V17 2014 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 53, December 28, 2014, Article 8

We sometimes cover other collectible fields, and here's one we haven't touched before - marbles. First is an excerpt from a story about marble collector Bert Cohen. Next, unfortunately, is Cohen's obituary, sent to me Thursday by Charlie Davis, who notes: Bert, who was in the coin business for a while in the 1970s and 1980s, was better known as the king of marble collecting. He was the brother of Jerry Cohen who partnered with Abner Kreisberg. . -Editor

Bert Cohen does indeed have all his marbles, some 300,000. His first was a German-made sulphite with the image of a rooster, given to him 45 years ago by an antiques dealer who told him that collecting marbles was a way to have fun with his children. He discovered that marbles aren't just for games children play.

The oldest and rarest varieties date to ancient Egypt. Today, the most sought-after collectibles include marbles handmade in Germany from 1850 to 1920, when production of machine-made marbles began. Whether handcrafted or factory made, "People love to look at them, fell them, hold them," says Cohen, a retired toy manufacturer.

"They're beautiful because of their color, shape, and size, which ranges in diameter from under an inch to three inches. Known as sulphites, these intriguing glass spheres contain embedded object such as animals.

Onionskin marbles are so called because their characteristic swirls of colored glass make them appear to have many layers. Handmade marbles start at $10 each. Rare antique marbles can run over $1,000 apiece.

To read the complete article, see:
Marble Collector Bert Cohen (www.countryliving.com/antiques/what-to-collect/marble-collector-0506#slide-1)

Here's an excerpt from the obituary. -Editor

It is with great sadness we report that Bert Cohen passed away suddenly, at the age of 83, on December 21, 2014. His passing is a huge loss to marble collectors all around the world.

Bert was known throughout the marble community as “MarbleBert”. He was one of the pioneers of marble collecting. For over 40 years he has been a tireless booster of marble collecting and marble playing. Numerous contemporary marble artists have been encouraged and supported early in their careers by Bert.

Many marble collectors don’t know that Bert has a family connection to toys. He is from the Leominster, Massachusetts area, and his father-in-law (Nina’s father) was the owner of the Irwin Toy Company. Bert worked at the Irwin factory in its heyday, back when they made the first Barbie car. He later served as its President.

Bert's marble collection has been showcased in Smithsonian Magazine, House & Garden, Art & Antiques and The Flow magazines. He has made appearances on Chronicle, CNN and MTV Europe, and has spoken for such prestigious institutes as The Jones Museum and The Museum of our National Heritage, just to name a few.

Bert was quoted once as saying. "I like anything dealing with marbles...they are beautiful! When I look at a marble I am attracted to the color, the shape and the size and am amazed at the ability of the artist to transform glass in so many ways, creating a world of wonder."

In addition to marble collecting, Bert was a supporter of marble playing. He sponsored marble tournaments on Boston Common, as well as involvement with the US National Marbles Tournament and the annual Good Friday tournament at Tinsley Green in England.

Bert was also the manager and promoter of the Northeast Marble Meet for the past thirty years. Just this past October, he was honored at the Marble Meet in Marlborough MA for his long years of service to the marble collecting community.

To read the complete article, see:
OBITUARY - BERT COHEN (http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=15c919030500156f88bac9e74&id=390b8837d3&e=6150f94915)