Lee's Legendary Marbles and Collectables

Lee's Legendary Marbles and Collectables is a museum in York, Nebraska.[1] The museum specializes in displaying, storing and sometimes selling parts of a toy marble collection Lee Batterton amassed over 70 years.[2] In 2023, it was officially recognized as the World's Largest Collection of Marbles.[3]

Lee's Legendary Marbles & Collectables
Map
Established2001
LocationYork, Nebraska
TypeArt, Collectables, and Antique museum
FounderLee Batterton
multiple toy marbles of various sizes, colors, and designs
Glass Toy Marbles

History

edit

The museum was founded in 2001 by Lee Batterton, who began collecting marbles in 1954[3] in the United States and later continued while living in Germany.[4] He was raised in Oklahoma where his collection began, but moved to Germany for his work as a grain elevator repairman.[4] Germany was the first country to create a way of mass-producing marbles, so German marbles are sought after by collectors.[5] [6] Marble production in America began in Akron, Ohio, in 1884, and became mass-produced in the same place in 1900[7] with the help of Samuel Dyke.[8] Collecting marbles continued to rise in popularity throughout America after the turn of the 20th century.[9] An article written in 1936 about marbles in America mentions the popularity among children of collecting them, an early documentation of the practice.[10]

Lee was born on April 18, 1933, and died on March 8, 2024, in York, Nebraska.[11] He created the museum on recommendation of a fellow marble-collecting friend in 2001.[12]

Collection

edit

Lee's varied collection of marbles has been recognized as the World's Largest Collection of Marbles by the World Record Academy, consisting of over 700,000 marbles.[3] Many of the marbles housed in the museum are kept in display cases,[4] but Lee claims that when he began collecting marbles he would store them in jars.[13] Many of the less valuable marbles are still kept in large glass jars at the museum today.[14]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Lee's Legendary Marbles and Collectables". VisitNebraska.com. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  2. ^ "LeesMarbleMuseum". Etsy. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  3. ^ a b c "World's Largest Collection of Marbles: world record in York, Nebraska". www.worldrecordacademy.org. 2023-07-11. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  4. ^ a b c "Legendary Lee Batterton, the 89-year-old man with a million marbles". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  5. ^ "Marble (toy)", Wikipedia, 2024-03-06, retrieved 2024-03-18
  6. ^ Miller-Wilson, Kate. "Most Valuable Vintage Collector Marbles: From Toys to Treasure". LoveToKnow. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  7. ^ Comeaux, Malcolm (2011). ""Caniques": Marbles and Marble Games As Played In South Louisiana At Mid-Twentieth Century". Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association. 52 (3): 324–356. ISSN 0024-6816. JSTOR 23074708.
  8. ^ Staff, Antique Trader (2018-03-03). "Once Upon A Time In Akron: Marbles make U.S. toy history". Antique Trader. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  9. ^ Cohill, Michael C. (January 1, 2001). Robinson, Carol L. (ed.). A Spin on the Past. Hounding Productions (published 2001). ISBN 978-0840002150.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ^ "Harold Lloyd (1893–1971), famous silent film star comedian, stuntman, and marble collector". Marble Connection. 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  11. ^ "Lee Batterton Obituary (1933–2024) – York, NE – York News-Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  12. ^ "Lee Batterton Obituary (1933–2024) – York, NE – York News-Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  13. ^ Cradick, Joanie (April 6, 2008). "York Marble Museum Owner Still Finds WInners". Lincoln Journal Star.
  14. ^ "Lee's Legendary Marbles – York Nebraska". Nebraska Traveler. Retrieved 2024-04-07.

40°49′58″N 97°35′54″W / 40.8327°N 97.5984°W / 40.8327; -97.5984