Clay Marbles
Clay marbles is a players’ term that described just about every type of ceramic marble, though normally refers to the cheaper earthenware marbles. Common clay marbles were also called commies, combos, commas, commy, commons, commoney, commony, clayeys, clayies, crockies, dabs, dabbers, dibs, doughies, doggie, kimmie, predab, stookie, tooser, etc. Clay marbles are likely the oldest toys made in world history and are found in the archeological record of almost all ancient civilizations. (Story continues below products)
(Continued from above) These marbles were first manufactured in the United States by Samuel C. Dyke in 1884; US Patent Number, 432,127. All the commies made in the United States were made in area of Akron, Ohio from 1884 to 1942. Commies can be dyed, painted different colors or plain showing the color of the clay used. In 1884, these were the very first mass-produced toys and their introduction radically changed the American childhood experience. They were the first toys that all children could afford to buy with their own money. One penny could buy upwards of 30 commies. Trillions of commies were made and sold in the United States, probably more than all other types of toy marbles combined up to the present time.
