Board and Table Game Antiques

Amongst the collectable items to be found in antique shops and stalls are board and table games and objects pertaining to them, which may not be easily recognised out of context. As well as the familiar chess, draughts and ludo, a variety of games has been manufactured commercially since the eighteenth century. Many nineteenth-century children's games had an educational slant and the stern moral attitude of the victorians is emphasised by their preference for spinners over dice. Games boards, boxes for the accessories and card cases were often hand-crafted and beautifully decorated and the pieces might be ivory. This book illustrates many board games, as well as dice, dominoes, mah-jong and playing cards and describes some techniques of construction.