Rule 1 — Find an Active Hunt

Check this page or search for posts listed as LOST or hunts that have not been marked FOUND. Always check the comments to make sure no one has already claimed the marble.

Rule 2 — Solve the Clues

If you recognize the pictured area or can solve the clues, your hunt is on!

Rule 3 — Be a Good Ambassador

When searching, be a good ambassador and representative for marble hunting. Leave no trace and leave every area better than you found it. Respect private-property boundaries, obey all local laws, act courteously, and protect the environment.

Rule 4 — Do Not Privately Ask for More Clues

Hunters may not privately message hiders for additional clues. A hunt is intended to be as easy or difficult as the hider designed it. Privately pressuring a hider for more information creates unfairness, cheating, or favoritism.

Rule 5 — Hunting Does Not Guarantee Finding

This is marble hunting, not marble finding. Not every hunter will succeed at every hunt. Difficulty and hunt styles vary, so know your limits and choose hunts that are appropriate for you. Not finding every marble makes a successful discovery even sweeter.

Rule 6 — Comment “FOUND” and Post a Photo

When you find a marble, promptly comment FOUND on the original hunt post and include a photo of the marble.

This:

• Confirms the hunt is complete for the hider and other hunters.
• Helps prevent others from traveling to search for a marble that has already been found.
• Lets you share your adventure with the group.
• Continues the community tradition of showing the handmade artwork.
• Provides an opportunity to thank the hider and the artist.

You may not require a finder to post a photo of their face. We do, however, enjoy seeing joyful moments when people voluntarily share them, especially families and children enjoying the hunt.

Rule 7 — Keep It Family-Friendly

This is an all-ages, family-friendly activity open to anyone who can follow the rules. Do not post negative comments. Treat others with respect, show good sportsmanship, have fun, and set a good example.

Rule 8 — Use a Handmade Marble by a Known Artist

Take clear photographs of the marble before hiding it. All hunt marbles must be handmade by an identifiable glass artist. The goals of this project are to promote community and family, spread the love of marbles, and support the artists who make them.

Rule 9 — Choose a Safe, Legal Location

Hide the marble in a safe location where it is unlikely to be found accidentally by someone who is not participating. Avoid risky climbing, dangerous terrain, or locations that could cause injury. Digging and destruction of vegetation are generally prohibited. Do not hide on private property unless you have permission.

Rule 10 — Create an Adventure

Clever clues, riddles, maps, photographs, and general obfuscation are encouraged. This is your opportunity to create a memorable adventure. Handmade marbles are true treasures and deserve a thoughtful hunt.

Rule 11 — Post the Hunt in the Official Group

Post your hunt on the World’s Biggest Marble Hunt group page. The post must include a photograph of the marble and the artist’s name.

Ordinary marble hunts may not be cross-posted in other groups or on private pages because this often causes confusion. Registered 10-Year Anniversary Treasure Hunts have a specific exception explained in Rule 31.

Rule 12 — Include the Required Clues and Monitor Your Hunt

Written clues must include the city or county, state or province, and country as applicable. This helps the post appear when someone searches for hunts in that area.

Every hunt must include these three items:

1. A photograph of the marble.
2. The artist’s name.
3. A general location.

Add any other clues or photographs needed for the hunt, then monitor the post and enjoy watching hunters work through the mystery.

Rule 13 — Mark the Hunt “FOUND”

After the marble is claimed, edit the original post to add the word FOUND so other hunters know the hunt is complete.

On Facebook, open the menu at the top-right of your post, choose Edit post, and update the original text.

Rule 14 — Participation Is Voluntary and Challenge by Choice

No one is required to hunt or hide marbles. Every hunt is challenge by choice. The community follows a general pay-it-forward spirit: if you enjoyed finding a treasure, consider creating that experience for someone else.

Rule 15 — Excessive Finding: You Own Your First Three Marbles

90-Day Rule: You may not find more than four marbles within a 90-day period without re-hiding at least two marbles that are eventually found, with the exception of your first three marbles, which are yours to keep with no strings attached.

Your find-to-hide ratio should never fall below -3, meaning you should never be more than three marbles in deficit. We use the honor system and trust members to monitor their own hunting and hiding. If someone consistently ignores this rule, notify an administrator.

Everyone may keep at least three marbles and may upgrade or trade those pieces while remaining active. This gives new members an opportunity to build a small collection before they are required to re-hide.

Continuing beyond the allowed limit may result in a warning or removal from the group. A warning may provide a limited amount of time to bring the member’s hides current.

Excessive Finding Without Giving Back

Frequently finding marbles without hiding any, or clearing an area without leaving anything for others, is considered greedy and conflicts with the pay-it-forward spirit of the group. Please report repeated violations to the moderators.

Marble hunting is free and performed for fun. Nothing is required in exchange for an individual hunt, but the community’s generosity works only when members contribute over time. Taking the prizes without sharing is unfair to others and inconsistent with the group’s values.

Rule 16 — No Unbalanced Value Hiding

Hiding items of little value undermines the pay-it-forward spirit. Every hidden marble should be a clean, attractive piece of artwork by a known artist and should be free of cracks or major blemishes.

When hiding micro marbles, hide at least 12 to 15 high-quality micros—approximately half a jar—or a full jar. Hiding only two or three micros is not a fair replacement for a standard art marble. This rule also applies to peewee marbles based on the artist and value. Administrators and moderators will decide questions as needed.

You may not treat a very small portion of a normal marble’s value as though it were an equal replacement. If you cannot afford a suitable marble, you may find one for free and re-hide it.

Remember: It costs nothing to give back marbles you found for free.

Examples

Joe found 10 marbles this month. While hunting for more, he re-hides seven of the marbles he found and keeps his three favorites. Giving back keeps the fun going for everyone.

Debra found 30 marbles and plans to keep them, but she purchases 35 marbles from artists she supports and hides those for others. She is contributing marbles equal to or better than those she found, which reflects the pay-it-forward spirit.

It does not take much time to hide a marble while you are already out hunting. We want members to give generously and pay it forward. The group is not a trading system and does not require an immediate exchange. Members who truly enjoy marble hunting and paying it forward will often hide more marbles than they find.

Rule 17 — No Private Hides

A hide intended only for one named individual is not allowed on the community page. Private hunts belong on an individual’s personal page because they are not open for the community to enjoy.

Rule 18 — No Traveling Marbles

Traveling-marble hunts are not allowed. They place continuing attention on one person or artist, do not encourage independent pay-it-forward giving, and prevent the recipient from keeping the treasure.

Rule 19 — No F1H1 or Sourdough-Style Hides

Hides requiring the finder to leave something in exchange—often called “Find One, Hide One,” F1H1, or sourdough-style hides—are not allowed. Required swaps turn the hunt into a trading or geocaching activity and can make participation less accessible, especially for new members.

Keep hunts simple, generous, and true to the pay-it-forward spirit.

Rule 20 — No Never-Ending Hunts

Never-ending or continuous hunts, in which marbles are swapped indefinitely or the same artwork is repeatedly passed forward, are not allowed.

These posts create ongoing attention for one person or artist while others do the hiding, and they turn marble hunting into a trade or geocache requiring something in return. Giving back is encouraged after finds, but a hunt should not benefit one person endlessly.

Rule 21 — Do Not Ask for Hunts

Do not ask for hunts in your area. Artists and hiders work to spread marble hunts around the world, and hunters may need to travel. If hunting is not active in your area, hide a marble. Others will come. That is how a local hunting community begins.

Rule 22 — No Re-Hide Requirements

You may not require a finder to follow specific conditions about how or where a marble must be re-hidden. Once found, the marble belongs to the finder, who may pass it forward freely and creatively.

Certain specialty hunts may include requirements, but they must be approved by administrators or moderators. A trash-pickup hunt is one example. In rare circumstances, administrators may recommend a particular hiding approach to a member, but this will not be common practice.

Rule 23 — Do Not Share Hunt Information Outside the Group

Do not share screenshots, hide photographs, clues, or other hunt-related information with non-members. Group activities are intended to remain within the group. Breaking this rule may result in an immediate ban.

Registered 10-Year Anniversary Treasure Hunts have a limited posting exception explained in Rule 31.

Rule 24 — Do Not Claim Credit for Non-Members

You may not claim hides or finds under the name of a household member, such as a child, spouse, relative, or friend. All activity must be associated with a real, participating member account.

If a child is too young to have an account, any hides or finds involving that child must be counted under the parent’s or guardian’s account. Adults may supervise children during hunts, including kids-only hunts, but the activity remains credited to the adult unless the child is an official participating member.

Rule 25 — No Unapproved Sales, Advertising, Auctions, or Contests

Sales, advertising, auctions, and contests require prior approval from page administrators.

Rule 26 — No Unapproved Hiding in Stores or Businesses

Do not hide in stores, shopping malls, or other businesses without moderator approval and permission from the business owner or authorized management.

Rule 27 — No Charging Money for Hunts

You may not charge participants money to take part in a marble hunt.

Rule 28 — No Paid-Admission Hiding

Hides are not allowed in places requiring paid admission, including festivals, private events, or venues where a ticket or entry fee is required.

Exceptions: This rule does not apply to public spaces such as national parks, state parks, or similar recreational areas where admission fees support maintenance and public access. In rare cases, an exception may be approved for a marble show, but it must be approved in advance.

This rule prevents marble hunting from being used for profit or to drive paid event attendance. Hunts should remain fun, free, and accessible.

Rule 29 — No Hiding in Cemeteries

Do not hide marbles inside cemeteries. A hunt may be placed near or outside cemetery grounds, but never within them. Cemeteries are sacred places for many people and must be treated respectfully.

Rule 30 — No Hiding at Your Residence

Do not hide marbles at your personal residence or in your yard. For privacy and safety reasons, hunts should take place in appropriate public locations.

Rule 31 — Official Anniversary Treasure-Chest Find Limits

These rules apply specifically to official World’s Biggest Marble Hunt 10-Year Anniversary Treasure Chests.

New or Unestablished Participants

New participants and those without an established history of participating, hiding, and paying it forward are limited to the following per family or household:

• One official 10-Year Anniversary Treasure Chest.
• Up to two individual anniversary marbles.

These limits apply to the entire family or household, not separately to each person.

Established Members

Established members who are active, participating, and in good standing may each find one official anniversary treasure chest.

Multiple members from the same household may each find one chest only when each person is already an established, active participant with their own history of hiding, paying it forward, and following the group rules.

One established member does not automatically qualify a spouse, child, relative, or other household member who has not previously been an active participant.

Additional Treasure-Chest Finds

Established members may qualify to find additional official anniversary treasure chests based on the number of qualifying chests they personally registered and hide:

• 3 registered chests hidden = up to 2 total chests found.
• 6 registered chests hidden = up to 3 total chests found.
• 9 registered chests hidden = up to 4 total chests found.

The same pattern continues: for every three qualifying anniversary treasure chests a member registers and hides, that member may find one additional official anniversary treasure chest.

Only anniversary treasure chests registered before the event begins count toward additional treasure-chest finds. Chests registered after the event begins do not increase a member’s treasure-chest hunting limit.

Individual Marble Rules

The two-marble family limit above applies only to new or unestablished participants entering the anniversary event. All existing World’s Biggest Marble Hunt rules governing individual marble hides and finds remain unchanged.

Posting Anniversary Treasure Hunts in Other Groups

Official 10-Year Anniversary Treasure Hunts may be hidden and posted in other participating groups. They do not have to be cross-posted to the official World’s Biggest Marble Hunt group. This exception applies only to registered anniversary treasure hunts; all other cross-posting and sharing rules remain unchanged.