Hand-Carved Bone Dice

Authentic hand carved dice likely made from ox bone. The dice show great patina. Please see the pictures that show the exact size. This is the pair the buyer will receive. This pair is fairly good size. The irregular shape and placement of the dots indicate they are not machine produced. Included is a clear plastic case with screw type lid. Fissures are shown in the pictures. This denotes they are actually bone and not reproduction. One would expect they would be irregular when hand made. I have placed them on a ruler so the buyer can see the exact measurement. I have taken pictures from almost every side so the exact condition is known. Some are discolored and are not precisely the exact same size as they may have been made over a period of time using whatever material was available at that time. This is perfectly normal. They might have been made by two different people even. We will never know. Please look at the pictures and decide for yourself especially to see if the size is right for you. The life of a soldier when not fighting was mostly spent drilling their battle techniques and strategies. At other times, soldiers would spend their time on guard duty. The rest of the time was spent trying to overcome boredom. With limited communications, considerable time was spent between battles planning and regrouping. Days would be spent making meals, doing laundry, cutting firewood and writing letters home. Horse racing, gambling and games such as cards, dice games, dominoes and shooting marbles helped to relieve the boredom. Soldiers would also sing songs and tell stories around campfires. Bone dice are typical of those made by soldiers while in camp. They were almost always small and compact and did not take up much room in their knapsacks. The dice are crudely made and believed to be hand carved from Ox bone (non-dug).As hard as most commanders attempted to control vice in camp, both gambling and drinking were rampant, especially after payday. Army regulations prohibited the purchase of alcohol by enlisted men, and soldiers who violated the rule were punished, but men on both sides found ways around it. Members of a Mississippi company got a half a gallon of whisky past the camp guards by concealing it in a hollowed-out watermelon; they then buried the melon beneath the floor of their tent and drank from it with a long straw. If they could not buy liquor, they made it. One Union recipe called for "bark juice, tar-water, turpentine, brown sugar, lamp oil, and alcohol."This is an interesting part of history and would make an affordable gift for the Civil War enthusiast. Hand carved dice like this were popular through the Victorian Era and there is no way to list a specific date or owner for this pair. Please note that the dice are not perfectly square and might vary slightly. That is pointed out for clarity and does not distract. Again please look at the pictures and decide for yourself. These are not dated. The black and white photo of soldiers playing a game on a makeshift table is not included. It is from the Library of Congress website and is free to download because it is in the public domain. I have studied and collected Civil War relics for over 30 years. I sold in an Antique Mall for a dozen years and the Mall closed here several months ago. That left me with lots of stock to sell. I am retired and I assemble these relic sets as a hobby. Please note the pictures attached. This is the pair of dice the buyer will receive.