Posted 14 years ago
fiona
(1 item)
Has anyone any idea what these are? We have two thin wooden blocks each about 3.5 inches by 2inches, with gold floral inlay. There are white tabs on each side which look like ivory or bone, with inlaid insects, which can be flipped up. They were in a box with other old items left by our grandmother - some other items are 1920s but could be any age. Someone told us they were to do with Mahjong, but we haven't found anything online which looks similar. It's a mystery! Any comments gratefully received.
These are counters for the old English game of whyst. It was a predecessor to bridge.
Many thanks you have solved the mystery!