A Piece of WW1 "KIT" I have always wanted and now have!!!

[Jerry B]

The set I bought yesterday and the single scrimshaw bone dice that I already had. This set has certainly seen a lot of use and appears to be a home made "board", though precise dating is impossible.

[CampX]

That's an interesting one Anon!!!

Dean O

[Jerry B]

That's an interesting one Anon!!!

Dean O

As you did Dean, I long wanted a set for my collection, so I am happy with it, though an example with a known history would have been better but very hard to find I think.

[CampX]

Anon, can you post photos of the back of the Board? I am interested in your find. Is the board linen?

Now I am not an expert, however I would think this dates to WW2 and heres why. ( I may be wrong but just me thinking this out)
The dice are much more "Machine made" than the earlier ones I have seen, look at mine that are know as to where and when, also if that cloth "board" ever spent time in the trenches, I would think it would be in a lot worse condition.. however this does not take into account it could have been used by someone behind the lines and was spared abuse of the trenches, and I know nothing of the manufacture of dice...to me it does not matter, if I have seen that one, I would have bought it in a heart beat!!!!

The game only came with 3 dice, so your 4, the smaller one is from somewhere else, perhaps a spare.. but it is older.

Just My Thoughts, it is a GREAT PIECE!!!!



Dean O
Canada

[CampX]

Here is a set of 3 Boar War dice, these were found at the bottom of a saddle bag used in the Boar War by a Canadian Soldier, I did not find them there, a friend came over and stuck his hand down the bag to spread it out and found a bottle cork, these were in the cork. The saddle bags came out of an estate sale, the Soldier only served in the Boar War..look at the size!!! I cannot imagian having a few and trying to make out the numbers!!!

Dean O
Canada

[Jerry B]

As I already mentioned Dean, the 4th dice was one I found on a beach in South Wales in the mid 90's and is obviously much older than the set of 3.

The condition of the board is very poor being thread bare in many places and with holes going through it. It is not known if the 3 dice, the leather cup and the board all started life together as they could have been grouped together at any time. To my eyes the board has a home made look to it and it is on linen or cotton and not the oilcloth seen on some early examples like you have shown, but I have also seen circa WWI period examples on board which would not be very practical for trench useage. I imagine the boards wear out quicker than the dice and it would be fairly easy to replace the board or indeed to make your own if need be.

The back is much the same as the front except with slightly less of the paint surviving and as it appears to have been made by painting the designs onto a piece of cloth it is hard to say which is front or back except by which way around the different shapes take in relation to the central figures of the crown and the anchor, though the heart should be to the left of the crown as you look at it and therefore the front is the way I showed earlier and the reverse is shown in these new pics.

Sadly the pictures really do not capture this as it appears in the hand.

I'm glad you like it Dean as I was very pleased to find it, regardless of its age.

The Boer war set found in a saddle bag is really a great find.

[CampX]

WOW!!! I Great Piece, You should be proud to own it!!!! I would be!!!!

Take Care

DEan O

[NCA]

Nice to see these games.Great fun to play (when youre winning!)My group often plays this at living history events and it draws a bigger crowd than the Rifles!

Jerry, I love the small carved dice..if only it could talk.Nice find.Ive found a medieval lead dice with a metal detector.Also the dice with your set appear to be a type of celluloid called Xylonite.The dust is highly flammable!

Ill put a pic of my Crown & Anchor set later...

[Jerry B]

Nice to see these games.Great fun to play (when youre winning!)My group often plays this at living history events and it draws a bigger crowd than the Rifles!

Jerry, I love the small carved dice..if only it could talk.Nice find.Ive found a medieval lead dice with a metal detector.Also the dice with your set appear to be a type of celluloid called Xylonite.The dust is highly flammable!

Ill put a pic of my Crown & Anchor set later...

Often a surprise when you realise how old some of the early "plastics" were, being invented in the 1856 under a different name, then as xylonite in 1869 and then later again it became known as Celluloid. I had a real shock last year on a dig when I uncovered an early set of false teeth, they made me jump I must say as they are pink in colour and then have the teeth set into them, not what I expected to find in a grave from the Victorian period.

I look forward to seeing your set.

The smaller dice as I already mentioned was found on a beach in wales between high and low tide and is obviously of some age, perhaps from those earlier days when it was a popular game with the navy and certainly its hand carved scrimshaw nature could support that, but as you mention, if only it could tell its tale. It was only after finding the first dice that I ever heard of the game of crown and anchor.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Not being a gambler, I have never seen or heard of these before.

Thanks for the education!

Cheers, Ade.