Handsome French marquetry backgammon, circa 1900

A very fine example of a rare inlaid-wood (marquetry) French backgammon board from around 1900, a time when jacquet / backgammon was all the rage across Europe. This is a full-size, solid walnut board measuring 28" X 20 1/2" (72 cms X 52 cms) open, in excellent condition. With its delicate cream and pale 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 the backgammon enthusiast with a real sense of history. The exterior of the game is a marquetry chess board (if you might be interested in chess pieces to fit this game, please see 'CHESS PIECES' lower down on this page). The playing pieces are 2” (5 cms) diameter and made from solid French boxwood and are in wonderful condition with a really beautiful patina from over 140 years of play. (Fun fact : Boxwood is an extremely hard wood, native to France, which was also used to manufacture the early 'boules'). The two hand-stiched leather dice cups also have a magnificent patina. The set is complete with two sets of dice from a more modern period (I can substitute these with antique dice at no charge if you wish - but please bear in mind that they are somewhat smaller and slightly irregular, as they were made by hand). As is normal with antique games of this age there are some slight signs of usage and wear (clearly visible in the photos) but I almost never see a game of this antiquity in such good condition. The internal marquetry playing surface is in exceptionally fine 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 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.