(Photos--shot in poor light as it was too large for my photo set up--do this no justice at all.) I found it in Vermont this week and fell in love with it immediately; something about old nails hammered into wood in purposeful patterns really does it for me, and I really love the slightly off center arch of the tombstone top, too. The whole thing is wonderfully primitive, but invested with a lot of love and labor, and was clearly made to be played, as it clearly was. Point values for hitting various marks were written in graphite, and a metal strip encircles the whole thing, attached via fat iron nails. There was never a spring action trigger; rather, one would simply place a ball (a marble it seems most likely) in the alley at far right and I believe simply set a ball rolling, perhaps using a stitch (like a cue) to hit it. The most beautiful detail to me is the elegant tapering of the wooden strip that delineates the alley from the board of play, and then the carved out and well-worn groove where the ball/s would be lined up before setting them in motion. A beautiful thing for hanging on the wall now, though most certainly it can still be played.
30 3/8" x 16" x 3". Good condition, sturdy and sound, and much better in person, well worn and wonderfully primitive. Wired on the back for hanging.
