white with a number 1 on it... Looks like the ones for a game called "Magic Squares" maybe?

[NeozLilBallz]

[ann]

Probably, yes. At least a china. Others with numbers were used for other games as well, but I don`t remember which games, at the moment.

[Chad G.]

Contact @crashbelt here on the board, he has an extensive collection of boards and complete sets of the marble in question.

[crashbelt]

Hi Chad prompted me to take a look so here goes!

Here's a close up of some number 1s from my boards. Both coincidentally posted on Thuringen Thursdays recently if you want to see them.

Mine are from the Jaques Numerical Puzzle (aka Magic Number Squares) 9 and 16 hole games. The one Block sold is the 9 hole version but with an incorrect set of numbers which should be consecutive of course!

These Board were stamped with a Registration mark dating 1857/8 to protect copywrite. They feature in the listing of a high end London games retailer in 1867-70. So that gives a good idea of their production era.

The numbers on the Jaques boards are clearly handpainted glazed chinas. The figure 1 on your example appears to me to be a later style font and maybe not handpainted. I'm out of my depth here so that's just hunches!

You'll see I've shown the back of one of them. The glazing was left to dry on small 3 point trivets - hence the three bare spots on the back which mine all have. Yours does not have that which also makes me think later than those on the Jaques boards.

I've seen a handful of complete Jaques sets, but never a set by another maker - maybe Jaques copywrite registration worked? I have seen other individual numbered chinas and even one made of bone or ivory but never on a board.

Hope this helps a bit!!!

[NeozLilBallz]

Wow, extremely informative, thank you very much!

[crashbelt]

As a postscript, I did see the 9 hole Jaques set sold at Block's auction.

I hope the buyer ($1,100 plus fees!) realised that they were buying a set with incorrect marbles! The auctioneer surely will have known this and it was disappointing that it was not mentioned in the item description!!

Sorry I get a bit grumpy about these things😒!!

Here's my real original sets to round off my comments in this thread😊

[NeozLilBallz]

I am a bit confused as to what was incorrect about the marbles on block, like to know just for future reference, thanks a ton:)

[NeozLilBallz]

6 hours ago, crashbelt said:

As a postscript, I did see the 9 hole Jaques set sold at Block's auction.

I hope the buyer ($1,100 plus fees!) realised that they were buying a set with incorrect marbles! The auctioneer surely will have known this and it was disappointing that it was not mentioned in the item description!!

Sorry I get a bit grumpy about these things😒!!

Here's my real original sets to round off my comments in this thread😊

ope, I think I answered my own question lol, was it just that they were supposed to be 1-9? I hadn't even noticed that till now...