Collecting Antique Dominoes: Bone, Ebony and Early Sets

The first domino set I bought at auction came in a sliding lid box of dark wood, with twenty eight tiles of bone backed with ebony, each held together by a single brass pin through the center. The catalog described it as nineteenth century, probably French. I paid 85 pounds. It was only later, sitting at my kitchen table with a loupe, that I realized six of the tiles were later replacements in a different bone, slightly whiter and with differently drilled pips.

Antique dominoes are one of the more approachable areas of games collecting. They are small, still quite affordable and made in a wide range of materials. They also have their own traps, and learning to spot them is most of the pleasure.

A short history of dominoes in Europe

Dominoes arrived in Europe, most likely from China by way of Italy, in the eighteenth century. They became popular in Italy and France first, and by the late 1700s they were played in cafés across both countries. From there the game spread to Britain and the rest of Europe. The standard European double six set of twenty eight tiles was established early and has barely changed.

Throughout the nineteenth century, dominoes were a common pastime in homes, inns and taverns. Some were played purely for pleasure. Many were played for small stakes, a tradition that has never quite gone away. People who today follow results and pools on sites like ankertoto are, in a sense, heirs to the same tavern culture that wore the pips smooth on the sets collectors now handle.

Materials and what they tell you

The material of a set is the most important clue to its age and quality.

Bone and ebony sets, sometimes called sandwich dominoes, are the classic nineteenth century type. A thin slice of bone is fixed to a thicker slice of ebony, usually with a single pin. The pin itself is a useful clue: brass pins are common, iron pins may indicate an earlier or less expensive set.

A word on ivory. Many older sets are catalogued as ivory when they are bone, and some that are ivory cannot legally be sold in many countries today. Always check local rules before buying or selling, and be wary of sellers who are vague about material.

The advice I disagree with: only buy complete sets

The usual collector's advice is to buy only complete sets in their original box, because incomplete sets have little value.

In financial terms, that is broadly true. But I think it steers new collectors away from some of the most interesting pieces. Single tiles and partial sets are cheap, often a few pounds, and they are wonderful for learning. You can examine the construction, compare materials, check pin types and study how pips were drilled, all without risking much money. Handling a pile of odd tiles taught me more about identifying bone, ivory and later replacements than any book.

My replacement tiles are a good example. Had I only studied complete, verified sets, I would never have learned to spot them. Now I check every set for them first.

Spotting replacements and reproductions

• Compare color across all tiles. Bone ages unevenly, but a group of noticeably whiter tiles usually means replacements.
• Check the pips. Hand drilled pips vary slightly. Machine drilled pips are uniform.
• Look at the pins. Mismatched pin metals or sizes suggest tiles from different sets.
• Weigh the box. A reproduction box is often lighter and the joinery too neat.

Careful handling and storage matter too. Bone cracks if it dries out or swings between damp and dry. Keep sets away from radiators and direct sunlight, as covered in gratitude in keeping old things, which touches on caring for objects meant to be handled.

Where to find sets

Provincial auctions, house clearances and general antique fairs are still the best places to find reasonably priced sets. Games specialists charge more but offer better provenance. Online auctions are useful but photographs rarely show replacement tiles clearly, so always ask for pictures of every tile.

My French set, with its six replacements, is still one of my favorites. It is not perfect, but it has clearly been played with for two centuries, and every worn pip tells part of that story. If you are drawn to gaming antiques more broadly, period card tables and gaming furniture covers the tables these sets were once played on. More guides are in our Collecting section.