What began as Lee Linne’s way to kill some time after his daughter went to college grew into a several thousand dollar obsession with marbles.

Linne, 59, has collected marbles since 1990. He’s got marbles that were created in every decade from the 1800s to just a month ago — from countries all over the world.

Some of his marbles were used for trade in Africa. A handful are published in collectors’ guides.

Linne can tell you where and when a marble was produced based on its colors, design and material. He is currently the vice president and treasurer of the International Association of Marble Collectors, and he regularly writes articles for a marble collectors newsletter.

Collecting comes naturally for Linne. He has also collected clocks and nautical items over the years. His wife’s collection of perfume bottles has been featured in magazines.

He decided to collect marbles because they brought back fond memories of his childhood.

Although Linne has thousands of marbles in his collection, it’s not about quantity for him.

“I’m not after volume. I’m after having some ones that I like,” he said.

The marbles he likes best are among the most rare, and have striking colors and patterns. They range in cost from several pennies to several thousand dollars. Most come from other collectors or the Internet.

“Most of these marbles you don’t find in the wild, in an antique shop or an estate sale,” he said.

The majority of marbles folks have in their homes are not collectible, Linne said. What makes a marble valuable is its rarity and its condition. Marbles with chips are significantly reduced in value.

“There’s a lot of pretty marbles out there, but one half to one percent are collectible,” Linne said.

If someone is curious about the value of some marbles they have lying around, they might find answers at a collectors show, Linne said.

For those who are interested in starting a marble collection, Linne has a bit of advice: Collect what you like, what you can afford and what is the best possible quality. It is important to collect marbles you enjoy because they may decrease in value over time, depending on trends.

“If you buy what you like, you’re going to like it at the price you bought it, and you’re going to like it if the price goes down,” Linne said.

“You don’t want to go into collectibles to make money.”

To learn more about marbles, visit the International Association of Marble Collectors Summer Marble Spectacular from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 19 at the Best Western Tacoma Dome, 2611 E. E St. in Tacoma.