Game Piece?

[Vcent]

I found this item several years ago in the yard of a church and have had no luck identifying it. It appears to be a piece for a game as it can be spun like a top and then would land on one of 8 sides. The sides are marked as follows: Image of a Red Star, T3, P1,T2, O, P3, T1, P4. The piece is sterling silver (marked) so I assume it must have been from something relatively upscale if it is from a game. There is another small mark on it which may be a manufacturers mark, but it is hard to make out. There is a long thin rectangle with a circle or shield overlying the center of the rectangle (similar to the US Air Force Star and Bar insignia on aircraft). The center circle or shield appears to have a "U" in it or possibly and "O". The bar sections may have a letter on each side also, but they are too small to see. I've posted a closeup of this. I'm not sure if it's right side up or upside down. The piece is about 1 inch in length and 1/2 inch wide.

I'd sure like to know what this is.

 

[BioProfessor]

It is a game piece. It is a six-sided spinning top. There are LOTS of them.

http://www.dicemonster.com/tempfiles/tops/

Daryl

 

[allen]

welcome to treasurenet
that is a cool find !

 

[Vcent]

Daryl,

Thanks for the link. I'll dig in over there. I see the T and P mean take and put. I'm curious about what the game actually was. I'll dig in at the site you provided.

 

[BioProfessor]

Here's a bit more information for you. Welcome to Tnet. Great find.

PUT and TAKE
Put & Take

This game uses a six-sided Teetotum shaped like a top. Rather than dice pips on it's sides, it indicated player actions.

According to Bell (Volume I, page 148), each player puts an equal number of counters into a pool and then the opening player spins the six-sided teetotum and follows the instructions on the face uppermost:

1. Take one
2. All Put
3. Take All
4. Put two
5. Take two
6. Put one


Daryl

 

[Vcent]

Daryl,

Thanks for the additional information. Your reply gave me more material for a google search, using the take and put name, and this led me to an interesting site at the link below.

http://www.antiquegamblingchips.com/putandtake.htm

Kind of interesting to find after all these years that the sterling top I found at a church is a gambling device.

 

[CRUSADER]

Here's a bit more information for you. Welcome to Tnet. Great find.

PUT and TAKE
Put & Take

This game uses a six-sided Teetotum shaped like a top. Rather than dice pips on it's sides, it indicated player actions.

According to Bell (Volume I, page 148), each player puts an equal number of counters into a pool and then the opening player spins the six-sided teetotum and follows the instructions on the face uppermost:

1. Take one
2. All Put
3. Take All
4. Put two
5. Take two
6. Put one


Daryl

Yeap, started as a WWI trench game. Put a Penny in etc... Form of gambling.