Anne Frank's toy marbles found

Toosje Kupers had no idea how valuable the marbles were she had stored in a cabinet for dozens of years: Anne Frank's marbles, who were given to her when the Franks had to move to "het Achterhuis." Anne Frank gave her marbles to Toosje, almost seventy years ago, when her family had to go into hiding in "het Achterhuis" on the Prinsengracht.

Toosje Kupers, now 83, kept the marbles all these years. She didn't realize how valuable they would be to the "Anne Frank Huis." Earlier, Kupers had already donated a small tea set and a book that were Anne's, for an exhibition. 'We already had pictures of Anne, playing on the Merwedeplein, but it's fantastic to now also have Anne's original container with marbles,' said conservator Teresien da Silva. The marbles present the first tangible proof that Anne played outside carefree before 1942. The families were close and shared an entrance hall on the Merwedeplein at the start of the war. Before they went into hiding they took some valuables over to the neighbors. After the war, Anne's father returned to bring the Kupers' family the bad news about Anne and Margot. The marbles will be on display in Rotterdam, in the exhibition "De Tweede Wereldoorlog in 100 voorwerpen in de Kunsthal," which will be opened Tuesday by King Willem-Alexander. 100 objects with special value from 25 war and resistance museums in the Netherlands are exhibited from February 5 to May 5, 2014.