You’ve seen them in the corners of smoky 1970s film sets or tucked away in your grandfather’s study. Those heavy, attaché-style cases that snap open with a satisfying metallic thwack. We are talking about the vintage backgammon board game, a hobby that has somehow survived the digital onslaught of the 21st century without losing an ounce of its cool. Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle. While other board games from the mid-century have ended up in landfills, backgammon sets from the 1960s and 70s are currently fetching hundreds—sometimes thousands—of dollars on the secondary market.
People want them. They want the weight of the checkers. They want that specific smell of old leather and felt.
The Bakelite Allure and Why It Matters
If you’re hunting for a vintage backgammon board game, you’re probably looking for one specific material: Bakelite. This isn’t just some fancy plastic. Bakelite was the world’s first synthetic plastic, and it has this weird, dense, clacking sound that modern acrylic just cannot replicate. When two Bakelite checkers hit each other on a cork board, it sounds like a professional poker chip shuffle. It’s tactile. It’s heavy.
Collectors look for "marbled" butterscotch or cherry red checkers.
The value is insane. A full set of 30 Bakelite checkers can sometimes cost more than the board itself. Why? Because they don't make them like that anymore. The original production process involved phenol and formaldehyde, and while we've moved on to "safer" materials, the heft and heat-resistance of those old pieces remain the gold standard for anyone who actually plays the game seriously.
Crisloid and the American Gold Standard
You can’t talk about this hobby without mentioning Crisloid. Founded in 1952 in Providence, Rhode Island, Crisloid became the definitive name in American-made sets. They basically owned the "Tournament" style look. If you find a vintage backgammon board game with a cork playing surface and those iconic chunky checkers, there is a high probability it came out of their factory.
The cork is the secret sauce.
New players always ask why the best boards use cork instead of wood or plastic. It’s simple: noise. Or rather, the lack of it. Backgammon involves a lot of dice rolling. On a wooden board, that constant rattle-rattle-clack becomes deafening after an hour. Cork absorbs the impact. It makes the game feel sophisticated, almost silent, except for the occasional thud of a move.
Spotting the Real Deal from the 1970s
The 70s were the absolute peak of the backgammon craze. This was when Hugh Hefner was hosting tournaments at the Playboy Mansion and celebrities like Lucille Ball and Omar Sharif were the faces of the game. Sharif even wrote books on it. Because of this massive popularity, the market was flooded with sets.
- Check the hinges: A high-quality vintage set will have "piano hinges" that run the entire length of the case. If it has two small, cheap hinges, it was likely a budget department store model.
- The "Stink" Test: Old suitcases use organic glues. Over fifty years, those glues can break down and smell a bit... funky. Serious collectors call it "the vintage scent," but beginners might just think it's mold. It’s usually just the breakdown of the adhesive in the faux-leather lining.
- The Doubling Cube: Many cheap sets from the era forgot the doubling cube or made it out of lightweight plastic. A heavy, engraved doubling cube is a hallmark of a professional-grade set.
Why Do People Still Play This?
It's one of the oldest games in human history. We are talking 5,000 years old. The version we play today—the one you find in a vintage backgammon board game—is basically the same one played in the Royal Tombs of Ur.
It’s a game of luck, sure. The dice decide your fate. But it’s really a game of risk management. It’s about how you handle the bad luck. Most modern games try to be perfectly "fair," but backgammon is cruel. It’s chaotic. You can play a perfect game and still lose because your opponent rolled "double sixes" at the last possible second.
That’s why the vintage aesthetic fits so well. It feels like a gambler's game. It feels like something you play for stakes in a dimly lit lounge in Beirut or Monte Carlo.
The Luxury Tier: Hermès and Alfred Dunhill
At the top of the food chain, you have the designer sets. If you stumble upon a vintage Hermès backgammon set at an estate sale, you’ve essentially found a winning lottery ticket. These sets use "Clemence" leather and hand-stitched points.
Points are those long triangles on the board.
In a cheap vintage backgammon board game, those points are just painted on. Over time, the paint chips. In a high-end set, the points are "inlaid." This means the craftsman cut out the shape of the triangle from the leather and stitched in a different colored piece. It’s perfectly flush. Your checkers won’t catch on the edges. It’s a level of craftsmanship that is genuinely rare to see in the modern era of mass-produced junk.
Common Misconceptions About Age and Value
Price doesn't always equal age. A set from the 1920s might actually be worth less than a "designer" set from the 1970s.
Why? Because the 1970s sets were designed for the modern "Western" version of the game, which includes the doubling cube. Sets from the early 1900s often lack the cube because the doubling rule wasn't popularized until the mid-1920s in New York City. For a player, a board without a cube is like a car without a fifth gear. It works, but it's incomplete.
Also, don't get fooled by "leather." A lot of sets from the backgammon boom used "Pleather" or "Rexine." While they look great in photos, they can peel and crack. If you want a set that will last another fifty years, look for genuine buffalo hide or heavy-duty canvas.
Restoring a "Barn Find" Set
Maybe you found a vintage backgammon board game in your aunt's attic. It's dusty. The felt is peeling. The dice are missing.
Don't throw it away.
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Restoration is actually pretty straightforward. You can reglue the points using a basic contact cement. For the checkers, a little bit of Simichrome polish will bring back the shine to old Bakelite or Catalin plastic. Just be careful with the dice. Vintage dice were often made of celluloid, which is surprisingly flammable and can "rot" over time, turning into a pile of acidic dust. If the dice look like they are crumbling, get them away from the board immediately.
What to Do Next
If you are looking to buy your first vintage backgammon board game, start small. Don't go straight for the $2,000 museum pieces.
- Scour local thrift stores first. Look for the "Attache" style cases. Even if the brand is unknown, feel the weight. If it’s heavy, it’s usually good.
- Join a forum. Sites like "Backgammon Heritage" or specific groups on social media are filled with people who can identify a brand just by looking at the handle of the case.
- Verify the checkers. Use a damp cloth to wipe a checker; if it’s Bakelite, it might give off a faint chemical smell (like carbolic acid). This is the "sniff test" collectors use.
- Check the size. "Tournament size" boards are usually 21 inches or larger when open. Small "travel" sets are cute, but they are frustrating to play on for more than twenty minutes.
Backgammon is a game of grandmasters and hustlers. Owning a vintage set connects you to that history. It's not just a board; it's a piece of 20th-century design that still functions perfectly. Buy a set, learn the opening moves, and stop playing games on your phone. The clack of the stones is much more rewarding.