The photograph on the left are dominoes that are typical of ones available for purchase and use in Europe, North America, and Mexico. Thus this style of domino set is known as a "Western Set". The Museum acquired these dominoes in 1975.
Each of these dominoes are made of wood, painted black, and are 2cm long x 1cm wide x .5cm thick. On the back of each domino is an incised design. The front of each domino has a raised bar across the center dividing the domino in half. On either side of the raised bar on each tile (except the blank), there are a series of indentations representing a number, (e.g. 5 indentations = 5). Each indentation is known as a "pip". Pips are normally painted a contrasting color so that the number can be quickly identified.
The design for dominoes such as these is about 250 years old. It is thought that the design was "standardized" in Europe. The design enables a player during a game to "stand" each domino on its side on a flat surface (such as a table) with the pips showing to the player and the backs showing to an opponent player. The design also enables players to place each domino on the table with the pip side up in the configuration called for in the game they are playing.
The area at the start of a game in which all the tiles are placed and the player "draws" the required number of tiles to make a "hand", is known as the "bone yard". As the game progresses, the excess tiles are moved to the side of the table and an area is cleared in the center to be used for placement of the tiles from the player's hands. It is similar to a playing card game. There are a variety of games that can be played. Some of these are for two players, some can be played by three players, and there are partner games for four players.
Last update February 4, 2010