19th Century Scottish Lignum Vitae Lawn Balls, Pair

$280.00
Pair of 19th century Scottish Lignum vitae carpet or lawn balls or bowls. Lignum Vitae is one of the hardest woods and has always been the wood of choice for carpet, lawn and bocce balls. One of them is over 5" round and has a bone inlay piece that is cracked but has not separated and there are age cracks to the wood, scored circular lines around it. The second one has a center ridge and is about 5" round and in very good condition. They are very heavy! Please see all photos for full description.

According to “Old Scottish Game of Carpet Ball Makes for Pretty Antiques” from The Herald-Dispatch out of West Virginia (herald-dispatch.com), these balls were pieces from a Victorian parlor game (originating in Great Britain) called Carpet Bowls in the 1800s. A box of these ceramic or stoneware balls were kept near the front door of a Scottish mansion. Another box usually accompanied that box but held the balls and accoutrements for the outdoor game of croquet or lawn bowling. The indoor versions were originally painted in various plaids, rings or stick-dab designs.

All three types of games were very similar in play. In carpet bowls, there were equal numbers of balls assigned to each player or team, identified by their color. The balls were between 2.5 and 3.5 inches in diameter. They were known as “piggies.” A smaller, plain ball was the jack or cue ball. Basically, the object was to try to knock other players’ balls out of play, though there were variations noted on Wiki.

One had some sort of center field in the middle of the carpet that was the “kill zone” and to be avoided. Another mentioned the goal was to wind up with your ball being the closest to the jack for the win. In any event, a simple Victorian parlor game it was. Apparently, there’s been a bit of a resurgence in the game’s popularity in both Canada and Great Britain.

all shown in photos so please see them all for full description of condition.
I use standard industry quality descriptions for vintage and antique items but if you have questions please just ask.

Most of my items come out of estates on Martha's Vineyard and some from other places in New England. The island of Martha's Vineyard where I have lived for the past 18 years is home to many old original families of sea captains and sailors so fascinating things come up when there are estate sales. Please check my other listings. I am putting up a large collection of glassware, china, linens and postcards that I have gotten over the years out of these estates. I try to do a lot of research and give good descriptions but I am not an expert in everything so please ask questions or if you know something about a piece and are willing to add your input into my listings please contact me!

I am happy to combine shipping on multiple items if possible. I will ship internationally but please contact me for the shipping cost before bidding. 6.25% sales tax on bidders from Massachusettes. Please check my other new listings over the next couple of days. Returns are welcome if item is not as described, refund for item cost only. I take very detailed photos and give good descriptions. Please see all pics and enlarge to see details. Ask me any questions before purchasing.
Pair of 19th century Scottish Lignum vitae carpet or lawn balls or bowls. Lignum Vitae is one of the hardest woods and has always been the wood of choice for carpet, lawn and bocce balls. One of them is over 5" round and has a bone inlay piece that is cracked but has not separated and there are age cracks to the wood, scored circular lines around it. The second one has a center ridge and is about 5" round and in very good condition. They are very heavy! Please see all photos for full description.

According to “Old Scottish Game of Carpet Ball Makes for Pretty Antiques” from The Herald-Dispatch out of West Virginia (herald-dispatch.com), these balls were pieces from a Victorian parlor game (originating in Great Britain) called Carpet Bowls in the 1800s. A box of these ceramic or stoneware balls were kept near the front door of a Scottish mansion. Another box usually accompanied that box but held the balls and accoutrements for the outdoor game of croquet or lawn bowling. The indoor versions were originally painted in various plaids, rings or stick-dab designs.

All three types of games were very similar in play. In carpet bowls, there were equal numbers of balls assigned to each player or team, identified by their color. The balls were between 2.5 and 3.5 inches in diameter. They were known as “piggies.” A smaller, plain ball was the jack or cue ball. Basically, the object was to try to knock other players’ balls out of play, though there were variations noted on Wiki.

One had some sort of center field in the middle of the carpet that was the “kill zone” and to be avoided. Another mentioned the goal was to wind up with your ball being the closest to the jack for the win. In any event, a simple Victorian parlor game it was. Apparently, there’s been a bit of a resurgence in the game’s popularity in both Canada and Great Britain.

all shown in photos so please see them all for full description of condition.
I use standard industry quality descriptions for vintage and antique items but if you have questions please just ask.

Most of my items come out of estates on Martha's Vineyard and some from other places in New England. The island of Martha's Vineyard where I have lived for the past 18 years is home to many old original families of sea captains and sailors so fascinating things come up when there are estate sales. Please check my other listings. I am putting up a large collection of glassware, china, linens and postcards that I have gotten over the years out of these estates. I try to do a lot of research and give good descriptions but I am not an expert in everything so please ask questions or if you know something about a piece and are willing to add your input into my listings please contact me!

I am happy to combine shipping on multiple items if possible. I will ship internationally but please contact me for the shipping cost before bidding. 6.25% sales tax on bidders from Massachusettes. Please check my other new listings over the next couple of days. Returns are welcome if item is not as described, refund for item cost only. I take very detailed photos and give good descriptions. Please see all pics and enlarge to see details. Ask me any questions before purchasing.