Double Nine Dominoes


Domino set

Donated to the Museum in 1979, this special domino set was part of game collection found in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is estimated that the set was produced some time in the 1920s by a U.S. manufacturer named Hal-Sam. The box has the serial number 920R on it. The box lid is 9.7cm long x 16.7cm wide x 3.2cm high, and the box bottom is 9.5cm long x 16.5cm wide x 3.3cm high

The reason for the estimated date of manufacturer is that penciled on the bottom of the box is the name of the original owner and the words "From Santa Claus, 1930". However, Double Nine Domino Sets are still being produced and are available for sale today.

The more common domino set is a "Double Six Set". There are a number of other variants, such as a "Double Twelve Set", a "Double Fifteen Set", and a "Double Eighteen Set". While a standard "Double Six Set" enables the play of a number of games by 2, 3, or 4 players, the other sets enable the play of more complicated games for a larger number of players. A "Double Six Set" usually includes 28 dominoes; each of these other variants include a larger number of tiles.

The Museum "Double Nine Set" has 56 wooden tiles. Each tile is 4.4cm long x 2.2cm wide x .8cm thick. On the back of each tile, a dragon figure has been stamped in relief. The front of each tile has a series of stamped and painted dots. The colors used are orange, yellow, pink, purple, blue, white, red, green, and gold. The tiles are divided in half with either a blank or a number on each half. There are ten suits (blank, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), each with ten members. A double-nine is the "heaviest" domino; a double-blank is the "lightest" domino value.

Generally, published instruction books about games that contain sections on dominoes only offer instructions for playing dominoes with a "Double Six Set"; however, there are a number of Web sites which provide instructions for playing specific games with a "Double Nine Set" and other larger variants.


Last update February 4, 2010