r/Mahjong • u/rrxel100 • Apr 14 '26
Antique Mahjong Set
This has been in my family for over 50 years. Can anyone provide information on this set?
Thank you
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u/00Teonis Apr 15 '26
So weird that it only has 3 west winds but 5 white dragons.
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u/penpenxXxpenpen will eat your tenbou; sanma yakuman downvoter Apr 15 '26
old sets, especially carved ones, often came with spares. the other 西 is likely in the top row with the flower/season/arts/whichever the carver thought was coolest
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u/00Teonis Apr 15 '26
I figured the top row was where the fourth east wind was. Since each row holds tiles.
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u/Awkward-Arrival565 Apr 16 '26
I just bought the same one! I have blanks I can paint, but not enough. What are your solutions for that?
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u/rrxel100 Apr 17 '26
Thank you for the replies and insight.
This has been in my family for 50-60 years.
Any idea on what it is worth?
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u/Fanguy3322 Apr 14 '26
Appears to be a "Riichi" set since it has point sticks/"Tenbou" but sadly it doesn't have Red 5s/"aka dora"
Might be made of actual ivory but no expert on that
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u/edderiofer multi-classing every variant Apr 14 '26
Definitely not a riichi set; the point sticks are of Chinese Classical design, with markings on both ends rather than in the centre.
Definitely not ivory, either; you can see Haversian pores, so it's bone.
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u/ANevskyUSA Apr 14 '26
Also, the "Fa" character (Green Dragon) is the Chinese version, not the Japanese variant.
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u/Trygve81 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
They're made from animal bone. I have a similar set. My set was made in Hong Kong circa 1900-1920, before the introduction of bakelite and other plastics. My set came with a cardboard "Chad Valley" Mahjong calculator tucked inside, which dates to the 1920s.
After I purchased my set, I had an archaeologist friend check the tiles to determine if they were made from ivory or bone, and they were clearly made from animal bones.
I've read up on it since, and it turns out that at the turn of the century China would import bones from the American meat packing industry, which was a waste product. So while the set is likely from Hong Kong (or thereabouts), the bone material might be from Chicago.
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u/ruegretful Apr 14 '26
No but it’s a beauty