h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Further to the information about marbles or merps or alleys, sometimes called 'pops' (Lancashire)
I remember my father/grandfather refering to alleys as 'pop alleys'.
This I gathered was because of the round glass ball trapped in the neck of a glass 'pop bottle'. This system of the round glass ball was used to keep the contents (pop) in the bottle, and because of the pop's pressure (or fizz) forced the glass ball up the neck of the bottle, or glass alley, and in so doing made a seal preventing the contents from spillage. Once opened, the contents would have to drunk fairly quickly as there was no screw top to prevent spillage or fizz failure. Not half clever those Victorians. One could break the bottle to obtain the glass ball for the game of marbles, but this meant you could not get any money back on the bottles return. Many kids would hang around the pop manufacturer's back gate on Saturday in the hope of finding alleys from the breakages. My, how times have changed.

where they good for playing with?

were they good for playing with?