Wednesday 11 July 2012

A Shove Ha'penny Board Conundrum


This handsome solid Mahogany Shove Ha'penny Board poses a question. I believe it's handmade rather than manufactured, although I've seen very similar examples elsewhere, and the basic design follows the standard layout of nine scoring beds with associated scoring areas. Where it differs from the usual layout is the addition of a double semi-circle zone at the top of the board. Notice also that there are eleven scoring areas in total, presumably for the purpose of scoring these additional zones.

Frustratingly, I can recall seeing this exact layout before, and also a simpler semi-circle layout on some slate boards. I'm also quite sure that I've read a brief description of the rules for this style of board somewhere online, but can't remember the details now. It's a nice board to play on, the surface is highly polished, and the relatively modest thickness of the wood makes it nicely portable. If anyone has any ideas as to the rules of play for the additional scoring zones, I'd be keen to know.

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