What is a games table used for?

For cards and board games in the home. The type emerged in Europe in the late 17th and 18th centuries, when gaming became part of polite entertaining, and the folding or swivelling top let the table stand flat against a wall between uses. By the 19th century the idea had widened. Combination tables served for cards, chess or backgammon, needlework and writing in one carcass.

How does a fold-over card table work?

The top is hinged across the back. It opens out to double the surface, then swivels on the frame so the carcass underneath supports it. Older examples sometimes use a concertina action instead, where the frame itself folds out accordion-fashion. A swinging back leg is the simpler alternative.

Are games tables and card tables the same thing?

On Sellingantiques they overlap almost entirely. The word "card" carries a good share of the titles under this heading, and the same object is routinely listed as a card, side, console or lamp table. Chess-top tripod and pedestal tables form a separate strand, and fold-over tea tables of identical construction are sold alongside.

Which woods were used for games tables?

Mahogany is the most common, then walnut, with burr walnut making up a large part of the walnut, and rosewood after that. Nearly all of it is veneer over a carcass. The upper range reaches for figure: burr yew, pollard oak, kingwood, padouk, birdseye maple, satinwood.

What period are most games tables from?

The dated listings run from 1750 to 1960, but only a third or so carry a clean year. The rest sit under reign or century labels, and "19th Century" is the largest of those, followed by Victorian. Regency is the next most-used label, then 18th Century and Georgian. Treat those broad terms as ranges rather than dates, since the year given and the period label don't always agree.

What unusual games tables turn up?

Roulette tables, a bagatelle table, an outdoor cast-iron games table, an 18th-century oak tavern table with a shove-halfpenny game. Others include a nest of quartetto tables with an integrated chess top, a triangular bentwood card table and a folding coaching table.

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Antique Games Tables

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A games table is a folding or swivel-top table made for cards, chess and other domestic play, opening out for a game and standing flat against a wall the rest of the time.