Superbly Tactile Antique Victorian Treen Boxwood Dice Shaker c1890.

This is an antique treen boxwood dice shaker. It is classified as treen, a traditional antiques term derived from an Old English word meaning ‘of the tree,’ which refers to small, functional, handmade household items made entirely from wood. These items were typically turned from boxwood, valued for its dense and attractive grain, smooth finish, and hard-wearing nature was highly favoured by woodturners because it carves smoothly and develops a rich, glossy honey-coloured patina over decades of handling.

This specific style was popular in the late Victorian period and generally date between 1870 and 1900. They were standard accessories for traditional board games and pub.

The dice shaker or dice cup is made from turned boxwood. It features a distinctive waisted or hourglass shape with a central ribbed moulded band. It has incised decorative lines cut into the top and bottom rims. The inside typically has ridged or stepped interior walls. These internal grooves were intentionally carved to catch the corners of the dice, ensuring they would tumble randomly and prevent players from cheating during parlour or gambling games.

The dice shaker measures approx. 8.8cm tall with a diameter of 4.8cm.

The shaker is wonderfully tactile with a rich honey-coloured patina. There are some surface marks and there is a small chip at the base.

A great collectable piece of treen.

Please see pictures for more details.

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Recycled packaging is used as much as possible.

I am always happy to combine postage, all I ask if you let me know if you are bidding on more than one item within a few days of each other. I will pack and weigh the items together and get the best possible price that I can, sometimes weight or value might dictate that I send multiple parcels to get a better value for you.