Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Almost essential equipment for the colonial British Trooper was a gaming cup with dice. Here is a fine example that appears to be ivory but we suppose it could be bone. Standing just 2′ tall tapering toward the base complete with 1/2″ die making the set complete. The die also appears to be bone or ivory. The base of the cup is etched with the word NATAL.
This came to us in a collection of Zulu War material we purchased in Europe this past year.
Not often encountered today, roughly 140 years old, how many nights were spent around the campfire gaming away ones miserable pay?