The History of Dominos
The origin of the modern domino dates all the way back to the Song Dynasty of China, with the first recorded mention of dominos coming in the 13th century AD. It is unclear if these dominos had any colors, but there were only 21 to a set, representing each combination for rolling two six sided dice. Conquinidentally, this implies that Song Chinese DnD was played with the roll 4d6 method to generate stats.
Dominos were first mentioned in Europe from Italian records in the 18th century AD and went by the domino name. This name was derived from the black and white masks and clothes of the Carnival festival, so the color was probably the same. There is no direct link between Chinese and Italian dominos, but it stands to reason the game may have been brought back to Europe by traders, merchants, and missionaries.
The game of Dominos as we know it today originated from the method of play popular in the 1880’s, where it was commonly played in coffee houses of Victorian France and Belgium. The game was brought to America by the English, and by the 1800’s several published rule sets existed. Modern styles of play, such as Five Up, Mexican Train, and Chicken Foot were developed in the last 60 or so years, utilizing modern expanded sets of dominos.
- Variant Rory 📚
Unique Dominos
Creative Anachronism
David Levy Creations
Shipping from Oregon is the Etsy shop of Creative Anachronism. This creator uses ethically sourced bovine bone to create dominos, dice and other various creations. For truly unique medieval gaming equipment, make sure to check them out!
If wooden material is more your style, look for further than David Levy Creations on Etsy for one of a kind dominos, cribbage boards and other such oddities. The handmade wooden products offered feature both domestic and exotic woods designed to withstand the test of time. Products and made in and ship from California.
Earthly by Nelly
Fluid Artwork by CW
Earthly Co features handmade creations from stone. These handcrafted beauties ship from Texas and, along with stunning dominos, you can also find chess boards and home goods. The patterns in the stone give each set a distinct personality! You can also find them on Instagram.
If resin is more your thing, I encourage you to look at what the Etsy shop Fluid Artwork by CW has to offer. Glitter and beachy sets of dominos were also featured in the shop, but I am partial the to botanicals in the Jane Austen set pictured here. This Californian shop offers a variety of additional resin goods.