Steel Marbles
Even among marbles there are those who seem to fill no purpose but to act as cannon fodder. If you find you must “sacrifice” a marble to trip a switch, change a diverter, be destroyed or be caught in an infinite loop, consider purchasing a Steel Marble. Steel marbles only cost 100 points. It is a far better thing to lose a steel marble rather than risk destroying a colored marble, which carries a price of 500 points, or even a black marble, which will curl your hair at a market price of 1500 points. (Unless of course you have no hair, in which case it just might curl your toes, if you ask nicely and it is that kind of marble.)
Note: STEEL MARBLES CANNOT BE PAINTED! They will pass right through the painter and the paint will not stick.