Antique Mahjong Sets

June 21, 2017 1:01 PM

Getting harder and harder to find, a foremost collector discusses these sets.
posted by MovableBookLady (4 comments total)

I have one set of bamboo tiles, and have a line on another set of ivory and bamboo. I love the game but I don't play the American game so some of the differences I don't know about. It's a fun way to pass the time, and a full game can take days (with breaks—we're not monsters). And some of these sets are gorgeous.

I was puttering on Royal St. in New Orleans several years ago and admired a beautiful set in the window of an antique store. Went in to have a closer look and the owner bustled over and asked whether I played. When I said yes, he asked if I would go over the set to see whether it was complete as he knew nothing about it. We spent an enjoyable half-hour with pieces scattered all over the counter, sorting and replacing in a beautiful rosewood case with drawers. It was fun.
posted by MovableBookLady at 1:07 PM on June 21, 2017 [9 favorites]

Ooooh, I have a pretty old set that my mother inherited from a great aunt (or something) - from the 30s or earlier - that I know very little about. I am excited to go through this collector's taxonomy to figure out more of its history.

(I could wish that her site didn't open every link in a new window.)
posted by janell at 2:49 PM on June 21, 2017

I bought a decent old set from a player who collects really nice ones. I left it at friends and now she can't find it. I'm going remind her to take another look.

I had a great group of folks I played with in San Francisco each week but I moved and haven't found another group. :-(
posted by shoesietart at 5:59 PM on June 21, 2017

I went to an antiques auction once specifically because there was a Bakelite mah jongg set. I got brutally outbid by a guy on a cell phone. It still smarts.
posted by BrashTech at 6:25 AM on June 22, 2017