Bert Cohen

A personal remembrance

I first got to know Bert in the 1980s when we began corresponding with each other, Bert had written to the landlord of the Greyhound asking for information about events on Good Friday. Gordon had passed the letter to me and our friendship started at the same time.

I replied sending him a few bits and bobs about Tinsley Green and the Marbles tournament. He then said that he and his wife Nina would be coming to London in September. He and Nina came to the ‘Mitcham Mop’ a traditional marbles match at the Ravensberry Arms, Mitcham, just south of London. During the following week both came to the Greyhound at Tinsley Green for a private visit to the ‘Home of Marbles’, which they enjoyed very much. Bert wrote “Thanks you very much for the hospitality accorded us while we were in England.”

They planed to come over to the championship the following year but Nina was not well enough to travel, and she sadly passed away in June 1986.

My next meeting with Bert was to attend the Northeast Marbles in October 1986. I stayed with Bert in Boston and he showed me his collection of marbles and other marbles memorabilia including some of his then 9 scrapbooks. When we arrived at the show ‘WOW’ so many lovely people – Stan Block who was the only other collector I knew, was there and I met Beverly Brule the first lady of marbles plus many, many more.

I visited Bert five or six times, he was always a generous host – like a young boy in a sweet shop, always enthusiastic about every thing he did and especially about marbles.When ever Bert sent things over in the post it was quite spectacular, the local postman would knock and ask for the stamps. You can see what I mean when you see the attached photo.

Bert married again to a lovely lady named Rosalie and they made Julia and I most welcome when ever we met, from the Thai restaurant in our home town of Horsham to Wildwood marbles tournament and their home in Boston.