A Ladies' Chinese Mahjong Set of Compact Size, Shanghai, circa 1920

the small wooden case stained a very dark brown or black, with brass carrying handles and a sliding lid to the front engraved with Chinese characters, revealing five drawers with bone handles, including miniature bone and bamboo mounted tiles:

36 Circles (1-9)

36 Bamboo (1-9)

36 Characters (1-9)

12 Dragons (Green, Red and White (ie Blank)

16 Winds (N, S, W & E)

8 Bonus Tiles (Flowers)

4 Blank Spare Tiles

Quantity of bone scoring sticks, oblong miniature dice box (sliding lid) and 4 bone dice, and Ming Pot (with 4 Bone Wind Discs) 

Box: 17cm wide, 10.4cm deep, 12cm high

Tiles: 1.9cm x 1.4cm x 0.9cm 

Stock Reference: VS 1948

A nice antique/vintage Chinese mahjong set of a relatively small size. From a Shanghai workshop, typical of the period. Ladies’ sets, like these, with the smaller tiles are relatively scarce: mahjong was popular, especially, with the American and European women during the mahjong craze of the 1920s.

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