Mid Century Games Table
A mid century games table brings a clever folding top and rich mahogany or burr walnut timber into the room.
Mid Century Games Table
When you search for a mid century games table, you encounter a selection spanning Georgian, Victorian and 1940s eras rather than strict mid-century design. The pieces available here consist primarily of fold-over card tables, gaming tables, and occasional chess tables alongside a poker game box.
Mahogany and burr walnut dominate the forms, accompanied by rosewood, brass, ormolu, and ceramic details. Most examples double as tea tables or occasional furniture when closed, serving dual purposes in traditional reception rooms.
Materials and construction
Cabinetmakers utilised dense timbers like mahogany and burr walnut to construct sturdy folding tops and hinged frames. These surfaces often display figured veneers that require careful bookmatching across the fold.
Metal hinges, brass mounts, and occasional ormolu ornamentation support the mechanical action of turn-over and fold-over leaves. Interior compartments occasionally integrate ceramic elements or lined surfaces for gaming pieces.
Mid Century Games Table Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for mid century games table among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
One unexpected box arrived ready for a high-stakes poker night with enamel and black lacquer.
Factors of quality
The degree of refinement in the timber grain and the crispness of the original patina separate standard pieces from superior examples. Burr walnut figures and serpentine mahogany outlines show the hand of skilled workshops.
Mechanical integrity of the folding or rotating mechanism dictates daily utility. Tables that close flush and maintain steady leaf support demonstrate superior original joinery.
The Mid Century Games Table Glossary
- Card table
- A folding table designed specifically for playing cards, featuring a hinged top that opens to reveal a baize or wood surface.
- Serpentine
- A furniture outline characterised by a wavy line of alternating convex and concave curves, seen on mid-18th-century edges.
- Burr walnut
- Timber taken from the warted growths on walnut trees, prized for its swirling, highly figured grain patterns.
- Ormolu
- Gilt bronze ornamentation applied to furniture mounts, popular in French revival and mid-19th-century cabinet work.
- Turn over
- A table top design where the leaf pivots on hinges and rests upon a swinging rear leg or frame to create a larger surface.
Mid Century Games Table: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a mid century games table?
A mid century games table is a multifunctional wooden furniture piece designed with a folding, swivelling or turn-over top for card playing and board games.
Despite the name, these pieces stretch back through the Victorian, Georgian and mid-eighteenth-century periods, utilising mahogany, walnut and brass.
How were card tables used?
These tables served as compact occasional furniture during the day, positioned against a wall with their leaves folded shut.
When evening arrived, the top folded or turned over to create a stable surface for card games, tea, or social gatherings.
How do I identify a Georgian games table?
Georgian examples, typically dating around seventeen-fifty to seventeen-sixty, feature solid mahogany construction, subtle serpentine shaping and straightforward wooden frames.
They rely on proportion and timber grain rather than heavy ornamentation to define their character.
What woods are used on these tables?
Mahogany and burr walnut are the primary timbers found across these listings, alongside rosewood and occasional lacquer.
Craftsmen selected these woods for their ability to take a fine polish and display rich natural grain patterns across large folding surfaces.