Game - Domino - Bone with ebony wood, beech box

Beautiful, authentic antique domino game. The game is still complete: 28 tiles with an original beech box. The tiles consist of a block of ebony wood, onto which a small bone plate is riveted with two small copper rivets. The tiles are 5 cm long, 2.5 cm wide and 0.8 cm thick. The game dates from the late 19th century or the early 20th century. The box is missing a rim (see photos).

Also very nice is the original box that opens and closes with a sliding lid. Inside the box the tiles lie in four rows of seven tiles. The box is 19.5 cm long, 5.2 cm high and 6.5 cm deep. Together with the tiles it weighs about 500 g.

The box shows typical signs of use due to the wood’s shrinkage and frequent use, but all these marks are part of the history of the box. The tiles and the box are still completely authentic and have always belonged together.

Very nice to see is that the domino tiles and the box are handmade. The spots are not perfectly aligned. Through extensive use the bone has developed a beautiful patina, with the bone fibers showing a nice dark contrast. The game breathes a lifetime of playing in inns and/or at home tables from the 19th and early 20th century.

What is special about these tiles is that the black wood is truly ebony, not black-dyed plain wood! It is therefore a luxury edition that would have been quite expensive at the time. The rivets are also neatly flush with the bone and the ebony, and not lying on top, as is often the case with these games. Because the tiles are flat, they are easy to stack.

Domino Rules
A domino game goes as follows. Players receive an equal number of domino tiles that are kept secret from the other players. When it is a player’s turn, he may place a tile somewhere. The number of pips on the adjacent ends must match. If he cannot place, he must draw a tile. The first to run out of tiles wins the domino game.

Not only can you still play domino with these tiles, but it is also an incredibly beautiful object for a display cabinet. Functional and certainly a conversation piece!

This domino set will be carefully packed and insured for shipping.