Jaques "Ascot" Racing Game, 1891-99
"Ascot" The New Racing Game, Jaques & Son, London, circa 1891-99
the mahogany rectangular box with white metal handles in the Art Nouveau style, a bone turning handle, and eight bone mounted ringlets to the front; inside: a brass turning spindle, eight painted lead racehorses, two (original) wooden spools for the cotton threads, and a large quantity of stained bone gaming counters, the chromolithographic label to the lid: "Ascot" The New Racing Game...By Letters Patent, Makers, JAQUES & SON, LONDON, with the original key
Width: 34.6cm
Height: 10.3cm
Depth: 19cm
Stock Reference: AS 1904
Condition
'Very Good' in an 'Above Average' Condition. Slight wear to the varnish on the lid of the box, plus a minor crack to the wood. Label 'intact' and in a 'Very Good' condition, with minor fading and a crease to the centre. Some flaking to the race-horses, with the original cotton spools (unused). Sympathetic replacement to the green baize. With the original key.
A well-presented example of an early Jaques Ascot Racing game.
A Note From Luke
This early game from Jaques & Son features an ingenious method of determining the winner of the race. The game is contained in a mahogany box, with eight cast-lead racehorses attached to a brass spindle inside the box with threads. A hand crank on the side of the box winds the spindle, allowing the horses to 'race' down the table in a random fashion. Players bet on which horse would win the race.
"Jaques & Son" become "Jaques & Son Ltd" around 1900. A patent for Ascot was taken out by Francis Joseph Secker and William George Milburn on 3rd July 1891, with a further United States patent taken out by Francis Secker on May 30th 1893. Advertisements for the game first seem to appear in 1893.
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