Lot #159. Traditional Dominoes Set
Traditional Dominoes Set.
Offered here is a complete and well used Traditional Dominoes set. The tiles are a bone and Ebony sandwich with a central brass pin. The vintage dominoes range from the six-spot to the blank. The tiles measure 2″ x 1″ x .35″ thick and are housed in a stained Cedar slide-top box, 7-3/4″ x 2-1/2″ 2″ deep. The set is complete with chipping to some of the tiles. The set appears to be late 19th Century.
Dominoes (or dominos) is played with rectangular “domino” tiles. The domino gaming pieces make up a domino set, sometimes called a deck or pack. The traditional domino set consists of 28 dominoes, often referred to as bones, cards, tiles, tickets, stones, or spinners. Each domino is a rectangular tile with a line dividing its face into two square ends. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called pips, nips, or dobs) or is blank. A domino set is a generic gaming device, similar to playing cards or dice, in that a variety of games can be played with a set.
The earliest mention of dominoes is from Song dynasty China. Dominoes first appeared in Italy during the 18th century, and although it is unknown how Chinese dominoes developed into the modern game, it is speculated that Italian missionaries in China may have brought the game to Europe.
A very comprehensive summary of the history, rules and variants can be found at: