Ancient gaming pieces: counters, dice and other artifacts of antiquity and medieval times.

1054 ROMAN COUNTER OR THEATRE TICKET
I-II centuries A.D.
Bone disc with lightly incised ring with a dot in the center. On the other face the incised signs: XXL and three short wide lines below. H. 4 mm; D. 23 mm.
Similar bone discs with inscription: XIII IΔ in Egyptian Museum at Cairo; with inscription: III IΔ has been published in Corinth, X, The Odeum, p.141 and Davidson G.R. Corinth, vol XII, The Minor Objects. Princeton, 1952, p. 219; three plain discs with inscription: VIII H and IIII Δ and VIII PA in Peters B. G. Processing of bone in Ancient States of Black Sea. Moscow, 1986, tbl. XVIII.
$ 300

1053
Roman bone counter
I-IV centuries A.D.
H. 3 mm; D. 18 mm
$ 100

1055
Roman bone counter
I-IV centuries A.D.
H. 6 mm; D. 31 mm
$ 100

1056
Roman bone counter
I-IV centuries A.D.
H. 8 mm; D. 18 mm
$ 75

1056
Roman bone counter
I-IV centuries A.D.
H. 5 mm; D. 20 mm
$ 75

1066
Horn counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 4 mm; L. 9 mm
$ 40

1067
Bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 4 mm; L. 8 mm
SOLD

1068
Bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 4 mm; L. 11 mm
$ 50

1070
Bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 6 mm; L. 14 mm
$ 75

1069
Bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 5 mm; L. 10 mm
$ 25

1039
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 5 mm; D. 15 mm
$ 75

1040
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 6 mm; D. 18 mm
$ 100

1051
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 5 mm; D. 23 mm
$ 125

1041
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 5 mm; D. 26 mm
$ 200

1052
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 6 mm; D. 24 mm
$ 1 25

1044
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 8 mm; D. 27 mm
$ 125

1049 SOLD
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 3 mm; D. 26 mm

1043
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 7 mm; D. 28 mm
$ 250

1047
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 8 mm; D. 25 mm
$ 150

1048
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
Intact, H. 5 mm; D. 23 mm
$ 150

1046 SOLD
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 6 mm; D. 24 mm

1050
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 4 mm; D. 27 mm
$ 75

1045
Byzantine ivory counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 5 mm; D. 19 mm
$ 150

1042
Byzantine bone counter
IX-XI centuries A.D.
H. 4 mm; D. 26 mm
$ 75

Pausanias stated that ancient Greeks played dice since the Trojan War. Tessera had numbers on each side from 1 to 6. In Roman times and later, values placed on opposite sides add up to seven. Talus had only four numbered sides: 1, 3, 4, 6. The best throw was venus: all four tali fall to expose different numbers; the worse throw was canis when all exposed numbers are the same.
See: Paus., II, 20,3; X,31,1; Aeschin. Contra Timarch., 59; Robinson, Excavation at Olyntus, X, p. 504, note 78; Suet. Aug., 71 1-4; Amm. Marc., XXVII, 4, 28; Daremberg and Saglio, Dictionnaire, svv. Ludi, Latrunculi, Tessera; Pauly-Wissova, Realencyklopädie, s.v. Lusoria Tabula; Peters B. G. Processing of bone in Ancient States of Black Sea. Moscow, 1986, p. 88-90, tbl. XIX.

1059 SOLD
Greek Bone die
IV-II century B.C.
Opposite side's values:
6-2; 5-3; 4-1
14 x 15 x 15 mm

1062
Roman ivory die
I-IV century A.D.
Opposite side's values:
6-1; 5-2; 0-3
One side is blank
10 x 10 x 10 mm
$ 250

1060 SOLD
Roman ivory die
I-II century A.D.
Opposite side's values:
6-5; 4-3; 2-1
8 x 9 x 9 mm

1064 SOLD
Roman ivory die
I-II century A.D.
Opposite side's
values:
6-5; 4-3; 2-1
9 x 9 x 9 mm

1063 SOLD
Roman bone die
I-II century A.D.
Opposite side's values:
6-1; 5-4; 3-2
11 x 7 x 7 mm

1061
Roman bone die
I-IV century A.D.
Opposite side's values:
6-1; 5-2; 4-3
12 x 9 x 9 mm
$ 200

1065
Bone die
Blank sides
11 x 12 x 11 mm
$ 75