Hopscotch is a very old game: a diagram of it was found on the floor of the Rome forum. Its current form, with hell and paradise (or heaven and earth), does not seem to date back beyond the 17th century . The player progresses on one foot by pushing a pebble or puck from genesis to paradise. The diagram generally imitates the plan of a cathedral or a spiral staircase.
To play hopscotch, in certain regions of France, wooden pucks 7 to 8 cm in diameter were used. Each child had their initial engraved on their puck. But children could also pour lead or even tin into the bottom of an iron box.
The most beautiful pucks were made in Belgium, in the central region (La Louvière, Morlanwelz, etc.). These were glass blowers, who with leftover glass paste of all kinds of colors, made pucks that were sold for between 50 centimes and 1 Belgian franc. As a result, these pucks were also called “ bossillés ”, paradises or even glettes .
These intimate treasures are now presented in museum collections in Vierzon, Dordives and Sars-Poteries (source: https://www.cerfav.fr/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/idverreinfos85.pdf).
These pucks have become very rare, because most of them ended their lives broken into a thousand pieces! One of the measurements used was 6.5 cm in diameter (source: https://eric-itschert.blogspot.com/). The puck was kept, like a treasure, by its owner, especially if it stood out from the others by shape or color. For the rules of the game, see: https://memoiredeneupre.be/0154-la-marelle/
Offered here are 6 antique hand-made glass lion head pucks: 3 black, 1 white and 2 colorless.
They date from the beginning of the 20th century and are in excellent condition.
These are beautiful collectibles!
Dimensions : diameter from 6.5 cm to 8 cm, thickness +/- 1 cm, total weight 722 g.
Free delivery for Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Careful shipping.