The Story of Martin Frederick Christensen

People tried for years to come up with different ways to make toy marbles; most of these efforts were in the clay marble arena. It would take a man that was versed in metal sphere making to make the first machine made glass marbles. Around the year 1900, Martin Frederick Christensen of Akron, Ohio began to tinker with a new machine that would make and form molten glass into spheres. A few years earlier he had perfected and patented a metal ball bearing machine. His ball bearing machine would revolutionize that industry as would his new glass marble forming machine. The concepts and physics that were applied for in his marble machine patent are still in use today, 100 years later.

The machine that Mr. Christensen invented was soon busy churning out marbles by the thousands in the old barn behind his house on Exchange St. in Akron. These early accomplishments would blossom into a successful company, that would involve his whole family and last until after his death.

Mr. Christensen's larger legacy to the field of marbles involves another innovative marble making machine; but one that was stolen from him and patented by someone else.  This machine is known as the Hill machine and was patented by a former book keeper of Mr. Christensen's named Horace Hill. This machine would be used to start a rival company called Akro Agate. All marble forming machines that are in use today are pretty much identical to this design concept. It is called a helically grooved cylinder. 

The first machine made glass marbles

The marbles made by Mr. Christensen were in what is called the imitation onyx style and  were made to look like natural stones. These marbles are prized by collectors today for their beauty and size. They were produced in the broadest range ever known from about 1/2" up to 3" in diameter. 

A group shot showing 11 different sizes of amber American Onyx Marbles.

Collection of Brian Graham.

Contrary to popular myth, marbles manufactured by the M.F. Christensen & Son Company do not and will never display a pontil mark. Elongated shear marks may be present but these are not to be confused with pontils. See Pontil Variations. These are 100% machine formed marbles and were not handmade like the marbles made by James Harvey Leighton. The only thing these two types of marbles have in common is the method that was employed to gather the glass out of the furnace. Hand gathered machine made marbles would be the norm until the late 1920's when gob feeders were finally introduced to the marble making industry. This means that the marbles made by Akro Agate, Christensen Agate, and the Peltier Glass Company prior to the introduction of gob feeders were all hand gathered. For more info see the Glossary of Marble Terminology. To see how glass marbles are made today by machine, see: How Marbles are Made.

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