This Bilboquet is a ring and pin game. The handle is the "pin", while the "ring" is the tethered "sombrero". The intent is to throw the "sombrero" into the air and place it above the painted "face" on the pin - that is to put the "pin" in the hole at the bottom of the "sombrero" as it falls. The weight and shape of the "sombrero" makes the task easier said than done!
This Bilboquet was bought in Mexico and donated to the Museum in 1981. The game is machine made of hardwood and is hand painted. The handle is 16.5cm long x 1.8cm diameter, and tapers at one end into a point or "pin". Below the taper on the handle is a painted "face". A tethered "sombrero" shaped heavy solid wooden object is 7cm high x 8.5cm in diameter at the brim. Around the "sombrero" is a black lettered band with the word Mexico on it. The "sombrero" is flat on the bottom with a hole in the center. The string tether is 28cm long and is attached to the top of the "sombrero", and tied around the handle just below the "face".
Last update February 26, 2010