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A rare George I teetotum ball made of wood presumably for a complex gambling game as the surface is cut into 32 pentagon facets, numbered from 1 to 32, with the final face bearing  the initials of the reigning monarch GR with a number 1, to certify that the ball was "true."

Note the tremendous skill involved in making each facet precisely the same so that each had an equal chance of turning up when the ball was spun. 

 

Gambling was wildly popular, and Charles II cashed in on the craze by creating the Royal Oak Lottery to raise the money needed to pipe water into London. By 1688 he was renting the lottery for £4,200 per year, franchising "owners" to make as much as they could from Teetotum.

 

A rare George I antique treen gambling ball

£0.00Price
    OPUS ANTIQUES
     
    We first became involved in Antique Treen and furniture some twenty five years ago and since then a passion for Treen, small wooden snuff boxes and decorative wooden items has developed into Opus Antiques.


    This web site shows only a  small selection of our current stock for sale, if you are looking for something you don't see, please contact us.

     

    We are also interested in buying Antique Treen items. As well as using our Contact page, you can also email or telephone us on 07941 285532

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    ANTIQUE TREEN

    The word Treen is derived from the word tree and is a term used to describe wooden household objects, all turned from one piece of wood e.g. a bowl, plate, gingerbread mould, and spoons, always having a function.

    Nowadays when we talk about Antique Treen it tends to cover all small wooden items including antique snuff boxes, candle stands, spice towers, etc. often made from several pieces of turned wood.

     

    When a piece of wood has been painstakingly turned or carved, handled, polished and loved over a few hundred years old, it can develop a wonderful colour and patina and becomes an irresistible piece of Antique Treen.

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    Address: Devon      Contact Telephone: 07941 285532       Email:opusantiques@hotmail.co.uk

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