Beautiful antique French marquetry backgammon board, mid-1800s

This is a magnificent French backgammon and chess board from the mid-1800s. The exterior of the game is a fine marquetry (inlaid wood) chess board. The structure of the board is walnut. The beautiful internal playing surface has inlaid wooden ‘points’ which are probably a combination of maple and stained pear. This is a tournament-size board and measures (open), 72 cms (28 1/2”) long, by 53 cms (21”). This 170+ year-old board would equally at home as a stunning ‘objet d’art’ laid out on a coffee table - as it would a rare playing board for a backgammon enthusiast with a real sense of history. Both the inner and the outer surfaces of the board are finished in Chinese lacquer and are both in near perfect condition. It is extremely rare to come across a board of this antiquity in such fine condition. There has been a small amount of detail repair work to the exterior marquetry at some point. The brass hinges are in excellent condition. The lovely matching leather dice cups have the wonderful patina of hundreds of games played, over the generations. The game is complete with two sets of handsome bone dice from the period. The playing pieces (or 'stones') are 53 mm diameter (slightly more than 2") and made from beautifully turned French antique ivory and ebony. They are are felt-backed, so glide soundlessly across the playing surface. They have their own wooden storage box.

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, Greece, 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.