Antique French Walnut Backgammon Game: Early 20th Century Marquetry Chess Board

A beautiful French walnut backgammon game that probably dates from around the 1930s. With its beautiful green baize playing surface it is equally at home as an ‘objet d’art’ laid out on your coffee table - or as a heritage playing board for the backgammon player with a sense of history. This is a tournament-size board measuring (open), 71 cms (28 1/2”) long, by 52 cms (20 1/2”) wide. The outer surface of the game has a beautiful marquetry (inlaid wood) chess board which is in excellent condition. Importantly, in this case the game still has its beautiful original green baize playing surface, which has some very light wear consistent with age. I deliberately chose not to over-retore this game by changing the baize - as I believe that much of the charm of these old games is their patina and the sense of history that comes with them. I cannot stress how unusual it is to find a board of this antiquity still with its original baize - they are nearly always badly damaged, stained or moth-eaten. The playing pieces (or 'stones'), are 2” (5cm) diameter and made from French boxwood, an extremely hard wood, native to France, which was also used to make the early French 'boules'. Their patina has a deep luster which is magnificent. The two hand-sewn leather die cups both have the wonderful patina that comes from hundreds of games played. This game comes complete with two sets of dice possibly from a later period. The construction of this board uses the 'tongue & groove' joinery technique which was popular at the time, and the beautiful 'floating hinges' are solid brass. (If you are interested in period chess pieces to suit this board, please see 'CHESS PIECES' further down on this page). **** Since I started restoring antique and vintage backgammon boards during the Covid lockdown in early 2020 I’ve sold over 500 of my games to connoisseurs in South Africa, Sweden, Scotland, the Balearic Islands, Canada, Australia, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Monaco, England, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, and of course my home-country, France ... but also in New York, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Alabama, Virginia, Colorado, Tennessee, Washington state, New Hampshire, Idaho, Wyoming, Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, California, Oregon, Maine, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Maryland, Georgia, Alaska and Puerto Rico. My clients include minor European royalty; national and international backgammon champions; people who can’t play backgammon; British, Austrian, Italian and French aristocracy … and an awful lot of people who just love to play backgammon on these beautiful, historically-charged boards. In addition to the 100+ 5-star reviews here on Etsy I will happily provide written, and verifiable, references from some of my private clients if you so wish.

NOTA : I usually have a variety of vintage instruction / rules booklets, for backgammon and jacquet, in French or English - please ask if you would like me to include one with your game. CHESS PIECES : I do not keep a stock of matching chess pieces to go with my backgammon boards - but I know someone who does ! If you are interested in vintage or antique chess pieces to match your board I will happily introduce you to a friend, who is also based in Europe. He is to antique chess pieces - what I am to antique backgammon. Please feel free to send me a message and I'll be happy to put you in touch directly. DELIVERY : Please note that within France, Belgium, Spain and some other European countries my shipper normally delivers to a 'collection point' (Relay Point) close to your home. For other EU countries and the rest of the world, the norm is home delivery. I can offer expedited delivery to most destinations. If you don't see this option please message me and I'll give you a rapid quote. INSURANCE : Please note that I do not automatically insure my boards for shipping above the 50€ minimum international cover. My shipper is highly reliable and I very rarely have issues, but accidents can always happen. If you would like me to insure your purchase to its full value there will be a small charge. Please let me know by message and I will set this up.