Victorian Scottish Tartanware Bezique Score Counter with Original Pegs, c. 1870–1900

Two pegs, one red and one cream, walked along a row of numbered holes. That was how a Victorian drawing room kept score at Bezique, and this small tartan-covered board is the whole apparatus.

Bezique was a two-player card game that took hold across Britain in the late nineteenth century, played in drawing rooms and private clubs. Scores run high in Bezique, into the thousands, which is why a counter like this exists: the gilt numbering tracks tens and hundreds, and you move a peg rather than reach for a pencil.

The core is solid wood with an ebonized edge, and a brass swivel latch at the top secures the peg wells when the game is over. The tartan surface belongs to the Victorian appetite for Highland romance, a fashion that put Scottish pattern onto every kind of small decorative and useful object for decades.

Both original pegs are present, which is uncommon. They are the first thing to go missing on a counter like this, and a complete one is worth waiting for.

[d]Type | Bezique score counter
[d]Dimensions | 3 in. H x 2 in. W x 0.5 in. D
[d]Primary Material | Solid wood core
[d]Secondary Material | Brass latch, wooden pegs
[d]Surface | Tartan-decorated with gilt numbering, ebonized edge
[d]Period | Antique
[d]Date | Late 19th century
[d]Style or Movement | Victorian tartanware
[d]Also Known As | Bezique marker, score board, tartan ware counter
[d]Maker, Mark, or Attribution | None identified
[d]Construction or Technique | Wood core with applied tartan decoration and varnish finish, ebonized edge, brass swivel latch
[d]Accessories | Two original pegs, one red and one cream

[condition]
The surface shows expected wear to the tartan finish, including light rubbing and areas of varnish loss.

The edges display minor scuffing and wear.

The brass latch has developed a warm, natural patina.

Both original pegs are present and intact, showing age-appropriate wear.