Marble King Factory, Paden City.

On July 15, 2019, Marble King, Incorporated will participate in the third annual Made in America Product Showcase at the White House.

“We are excited to once again host businesses from all 50 states at the White House to highlight and celebrate American-made products,” a White House official said. “In today’s booming economy, President Trump and his Administration are proud to tout businesses that create jobs and support our local communities.”

Businesses from each of the 50 states have been invited to display their products made and produced in the United States. Marble King plans to showcase American-made Marbles during the event.

The “Kings” of West Virginia: The Marble King

In the 1930’s and ’40’s, traveling salesman Barry Pink had been criss-crossing the eastern part of the United Sates. One of his lines was a then-very-popular children’s toy – marbles – manufactured by the Peltier Glass Company of Ottawa, Illinois and marketed under the name “Marble King.” In the course of his travels, Pink not only gave away free samples of the product, but he hosted marbles tournaments throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Barry had been selling marbles for quite some time, and was quite good at it…so good that he had become known as the marble king. So good, in fact, that he sold more marbles than Peltier could produce. And so, in 1949, Barry Pink joined forces with Sellers Peltier (the son of the owner of Peltier Glass Co.) to form a new company. Pink retained majority interest in the new venture, and Marble King, Incorporated was born. Barry Pink was now, indeed, “The Marble King.”

Marble King marbles, STILL proudly made in the USA!

Fast-forward sixty-six years. Today, Marble King is still making marbles.

Its original location in St. Mary’s, West Virginia, was destroyed by fire in 1958, and Roger Howdyshell, who managed the facility, moved it to Paden City, West Virginia, where it is still located.

There are other marble-makers in the United States – Jabo, Inc. in Parkersburg, WV is one – and a number of specialty companies that sell a lot of imported marbles (Moon Marble Company in Bonner Springs, KS, for example) but Marble King is the undisputed leader, currently producing over one million marbles per day and shipping them world-wide.

The factory operates seven days a week, twenty-four hours per day, halting production only on holidays or for scheduled (and sometimes unscheduled) maintenance.