Lot 1347* ♣ - A198 Ivory collection - Thursday, 30. September 2021, 11.00 AM
RARE DICE / TEETOTUM
England, end of the 17th century / beginning of the 18th century.
Walrus tusk. With 24 fields, engraved with letters.
D 3.7 cm, 48 g.
For the exportation of this item a CITES license is required. Prospective buyers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country. For further information please contact the department.
Signs of use.
Dice games have been extremely popular since Antiquity. One such game, dating back to Roman Antiquity, was the so-called "teetotum". This was originally played with a hexagonal spinning top, the sides of which were marked with letters. As soon as a player threw a T, which stood for the Latin 'totum' (meaning all), the game was won by that player. The game became very popular in Germany in the 16th century, but was also well-known in France and England. Several versions of the game developed as well as the gaming device itself. The gaming device could also be a polygonal cube engraved with numbers or letters. (Chrisholm Hugh (ed.): Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911, p. 503 f.)
Dice games have been extremely popular since Antiquity. One such game, dating back to Roman Antiquity, was the so-called "teetotum". This was originally played with a hexagonal spinning top, the sides of which were marked with letters. As soon as a player threw a T, which stood for the Latin 'totum' (meaning all), the game was won by that player. The game became very popular in Germany in the 16th century, but was also well-known in France and England. Several versions of the game developed as well as the gaming device itself. The gaming device could also be a polygonal cube engraved with numbers or letters. (Chrisholm Hugh (ed.): Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911, p. 503 f.)
CHF 3 000 / 5 000 | (€ 3 090 / 5 150)
Sold for CHF 3 125 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.