I only recently discovered Spillikins, also called Spellicans--a predecessor to jack straws and pick up sticks, which from what I understand originated in China but became very popular as a parlor game in Victorian England. No wonder--they are fantastic!!! And super fun to play!!! I've found sets in both wood and bone produced by a few different British makers in the late 19th century which came in a labeled box with printed instructions--but these are more diverse in form and more finely made, with a hand-decorated slide-top box, and 40 pieces plus the two original sticks with hooks. Quite likely a one of a kind set I think.
To play, one drops--spills--the spillikins onto the table, then players alternately use the hook tool (which works great for the task) to try to lift and extract pieces without disturbing any others, continuing until failing. Once an "attack" has begun to extract one piece, a player may not shift their attempt to a different piece on that turn. Some of the pieces are hand-numbered with bonus point amounts--10 for axes, 55 for a paddle, etc. The player with the most points at the end wins, though just playing as a solitaire endeavor is pretty satisfying too!
Pieces measure about 3 1/6" long. Box measures 3 1/2" l x 2 1/8" w x 1 1/8" t. Everything is in terrific shape with the exception of one broken piece (a straight stick, as pictured) and one hoe with a couple of broken prongs.
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