What games do these boxes contain?

Compendiums typically hold chess, backgammon, draughts, dominoes and playing cards within nested wooden trays. Some variations include cribbage boards, whist counters and dice. Larger cabinets combine these indoor pastimes with spirit decanters and drinking glasses, creating a complete dry bar for evening guests.

How do I identify a Victorian games box?

Victorian examples rely heavily on dense woods like mahogany, walnut and rosewood, often featuring heavy brass mounts or intricate marquetry. The internal partitions are handmade to fit specific bone or wooden components. Edwardian boxes tend to introduce lighter oak housings, silver-plated mounts and sports compendiums by makers like Slazenger and Gamage.

Were these sets used for travelling?

Many smaller folding boards and chess sets were designed specifically for carriage or rail travel, featuring pegged pieces or magnetic boards to resist motion. Miniature bone dominoes and folding leather faux book boards also served travellers. Larger compendiums and tantalus cabinets remained stationary in the drawing room or study.

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Antique Games Box Set

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When you handle an antique games box set, you touch the social centre of the nineteenth-century parlour, built for long evenings of chess, cards and croquet.