Really a special thing! This is a wonderful antique British hand-painted double-sided wooden gameboard with sliding tops on either side that allow for storage of the original turned wood game pieces, which are still with it. One one side is a draughts (checkers) board, which of course could also be used for chess, and on the other a board for Nine Men's Morris (also known as Merrills, Mill and Merels), an old English game that goes back to antiquity, the objective of which is to capture opposing pieces by forming lines of 3. (Set up and rules easily found by googling.) Looking at this one can just feel the history of parlors it has sat in and matches it has hosted, and to pour a whisky and set this out on a table near a fireplace on a winter's day is about the most fabulous thing I can imagine!
The whole thing is constructed like a box, with dovetail corners. Sliding off the lid on one side reveals one board, then you flip the whole thing over to use the other board. It retains its original rich blue paint, with orange and gold painted decoration at center and corners. And on the underside of the lids are old handwritten notes and numbers written in pencil. There is one missing white checker, but one of the slightly smaller Nine Men's Morris pieces can easily be used as a substitute.
11 5/8" x 11 5/8" x 2 1/4". Given its age, it is in terrific condition. One of the slide tops has I think lost just its very far left edge but still slides on and off fine and holds the pieces snugly inside. Otherwise, some wear to the wood and paint around the edges and sides, but I think these just add to its marvelous aura.
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