{"product_id":"drueke-pocket-clapper-game-no-154-walnut-dice-and-peg-game-with-original-rules-and-case-grand-rapids-c-1965-1983","title":"Drueke “Pocket Clapper Game” No. 154, Walnut Dice-and-Peg Game with Original Rules and Case, Grand Rapids, c. 1965–1983","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA pocket game cut from a solid block of walnut, small enough to close a hand around. The face carries nine drilled holes in a row, numbered 1 through 9 in crisp cream lettering, with POCKET CLAPPER GAME and the model number set around them in the same type. The wood is close-grained and warm, finished to a low sheen that shows the figure without gloss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe clever part is underneath. The block is hollowed into a long oval cavity that holds the two dice and the full set of pegs, and a fitted wooden panel slides across to close it. Everything the game needs lives inside the game itself — no box to lose, no bag to tear. The pegs are turned plastic in yellow and blue with rounded heads, and they seat into the numbered holes with a click.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt still has its original printed rules slip, and the clear hinged case it was sold in.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrueke is a name that means something to people who care about games. William F. Drueke \u0026amp; Sons of Grand Rapids, Michigan spent most of the twentieth century making chess sets, cribbage boards, backgammon, and pocket games in hardwood, and they built a reputation on the same thing this piece demonstrates: real wood, tight tolerances, and a design that solves its own storage problem.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe game itself is the old tavern game of Shut the Box, translated into pegs. You throw two dice and peg out holes summing to the total — nine and six can close the 9, or the 6 and 3, or the 3, 4, and 2 — and you keep throwing until you cannot use a complete total. Your score is what is left unpegged, and low score wins. Simple enough to teach in thirty seconds, and genuinely hard to play well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rules slip dates it fairly closely. It carries a five-digit ZIP code, which puts it after the ZIP system began in 1963, and no ZIP+4, which points to before that format arrived in 1983.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"8\" cellspacing=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003eField\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003eDetail\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eObject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePocket dice-and-peg game with original rules and case\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDrueke Games, 601 3rd Street NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSolid walnut block with nine numbered peg holes to the face and a hollowed storage cavity behind a sliding wooden panel; supplied with two dice, pegs in yellow and blue, printed rules slip, and clear hinged case\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSolid walnut with printed lettering; plastic pegs and dice\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMarks\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePrinted POCKET CLAPPER GAME No. 154 to the face; rules slip marked Drueke Games, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEra\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ec. 1965–1983\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eExcellent. The walnut is clean and sound with no cracks or splits, the printed lettering is bright and complete, and the sliding cover moves freely. Pegs seat correctly in every hole and both dice are present with sharp pips. Original rules slip is intact with light handling creases. The clear case shows minor scuffing consistent with storage. Condition Guaranteed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOne of a Kind — 1 Available\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy It Belongs in Your Home\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the object you want in a coat pocket, a glovebox, a carry-on, or the drawer of a side table. It takes two minutes to learn, it plays in five, and it works across a restaurant table, on a plane tray, or on a porch step with a drink beside it. Children pick it up immediately, which is not nothing, and it does arithmetic on them without their noticing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeft out, it earns its place too — a small block of figured walnut with nine holes and crisp lettering reads as an object rather than a toy, and it sits comfortably on a bar cart, a desk, or a stack of books. A note on care: keep the pegs and dice in the cavity rather than loose in the case so nothing goes missing, and store it away from heat and direct sun, which will fade the printed numbers before they wear off. A little clear paste wax once a year keeps the walnut fed; skip oils and anything silicone-based.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viridian Eclection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48006966673513,"sku":null,"price":92.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/0093\/9369\/files\/IMG_3519.jpg?v=1788845446","url":"https:\/\/viridianeclection.com\/products\/drueke-pocket-clapper-game-no-154-walnut-dice-and-peg-game-with-original-rules-and-case-grand-rapids-c-1965-1983","provider":"Viridian Eclection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}