Antique French Walnut Marquetry Backgammon Board, Circa 1910

This is a very fine example of an inlaid-wood (or marquetry) backgammon board from around 1910-1920, a time when jacquet / backgammon was all the rage in France. Unusually, it does not have a chess or drafts board on the exterior - instead just elegant walnut panels decorated with sober marquetry line detailing. This is a full-size, solid walnut board measuring 28" X 20 1/2" (71 cms X 52 cms) open. With its delicate beige and blue pastel-coloured inlaid wood playing surface this game is equally at home as a talking point laid out on your coffee table - or as a playing board for real backgammon enthusiasts. The playing pieces are 2 1/4” (5,5 cms) diameter, made from French boxwood and are in wonderful condition with the beautiful patina that comes from from 120 years of play. They are felt-bottomed, which means that they slide noiselessly across the marquetry playing surface. Fun fact : Boxwood is an extremely hard wood which was also used to manufacture the early 'boules'. The two hand stitched leather dice cups also have a magnificent patina. The set is complete with two sets of tasteful modern dice. As is normal with antique games of this age there are some superficial signs of usage and scuffing along with a tiny area of marquetry which is very slightly raised (just visible in the photos), but which does not affect play in any way and will not deteriorate. I have rarely seen a game of this age in such good condition. The hinges and closing mechanisms are in brass.

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, Hong Kong, Scotland, the Balearic Islands, Canada, Australia, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Monaco, Mauritius, England, Ireland, Norway, 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 150+ verified 5-star reviews here on my site, I will happily provide you with contact details for 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, free of charge, 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, Germany and some other European countries my usual shipper is Mondial Relay which normally delivers to a 'collection point' (Relay Point) close to your home. For the rest of the world, I generally use FedEx, and 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 damage during shipping. My shippers are 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.