ORIGINAL TITLE: Chinese Immigrant Artifacts from 1880s Tombstone, Arizona
MATERIAL: Ebony
TYPE: Game
COMPONENTS: Ebony, tin, brass.
Lot consists of a set of 16 hand-carved dominoes, 9 brass or copper coins with square center holes and Chinese characters, and a hinged tin box with no markings.
CONDITION: Worn condition, as shown. The dominoes are covered in a fine layer of soil, and we have made no attempt to clean them.
NOTES: This unusual item comes from a prominent Arizona author and collector, who purchased it from an antiques dealer in Tombstone, Arizona in the 1980s. According to the dealer, it was found under the floorboards of an 1880s building undergoing renovations. The building was in the old Chinese district of Tombstone. Although anecdotal, we give the story some credence, based on the reputable source of Jim Sherman, author of the 1969 classic, "Ghost towns of Arizona" and the prima facia evidence, which strongly support a late 19th century date and an American origin. At the very least, it's an example of the type of gambling paraphernalia in use in Chinese communities of the American West during the frontier period. Possible Tombstone provenance adds considerable interest and appeal.
LANGUAGE
Chinese
ITEM ID: 3675
