Hey everyone,

I just got some backgammon checkers made and wanted to share them with you, and maybe get some feedback. They are fairly durable, unless you drop them on concrete or something equally hard. Also, they can chip if you hit them very hard against each other. But they turned out beautiful, and they have a nice "heft" to them. Dimensions: 1.75" x 5/16"




Does anyone think they would enjoy playing with these?

Nathan

Not sure I like the blank ones but the black look absolutely amazing.

A little plain looking for my taste...I'm partial to bakelite or it's modern equivalent. Really don't like the clear ones, the black opaque seem a little nicer.

I like them a lot. Very nice. My favorite are the spanish finger dip checkers that come with many Tak Marioka boards though.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I too like the black ones better, but with the right board I'm sure these checkers would look stunning together.

I have more coming, some with a finger bowl, but I think they are different from the spanish finger dip checkers?

because these are RARE backgammon checkers, I am debating throwing them on ebay.

I want to make a matching board for these checkers, but cant decide on colors. Does anyone have any color combination suggestions for the board to go with these checkers?

Thanks,
Nathan

Hi everyone, hope you all enjoyed the holidays and wish you all a happy new year!

Small update - I got another set of checkers, this time with a finger bowl, and even though the orange color was supposed to be red I love these very much!

I don't know where else to post these pics, so I thought I'd share right here in your forum!





enjoy!

You guys use real boards and checkers? How quaint

The blue checkers look amazing. The orange ones remind me of life savers, lol.

I really love the blue and orange checkers. Two nice contrasting colors.

Hi,

it's nice to see so much creativity. I think two shades of grey will do very well with these checkers. To get a good communicating color with the beige checker you might consider to mix a little bit of beige paint with a standard grey.

greetings k.

Hi again,

for the orange and blue checkers I would think of a completely different board.
Maybe something in the style of roy lichtenstein (pop art). For the colors just mix the checker colors with some grey for saturation of the colors.

greetings k.

networth: sure do.

28renton: The orange ones do remind me of Candy, but I wouldn't try eating one.

uberkuber: The orange was an accident but I agree they contrast well!

kruidenbuiltje: Thanks for the input. I plan on using leather for the board, so I don't think mixing colors will be possible, and my color selection is scarce. What do you think about Gray, Black and Yellow?

Thanks for comments!

Nathan

Hi Nathan,

For your black and beige checkers it wouldn't work because its the same coloring, and the checkers might disappear. For the orange and blue checkers it might work. But there should be a webshop which sells leather in a wide range of colours,

greetings k.

Happy New Year to all.


Natan,
Go to www.golden-anchor.com, pick a playing surface you like and build your board.
Are you a checker maker or a board maker?
I am a backgammon equipment designer and would gladly share thoughts.

kruidenbuiltje: That's what I'm worried about, that the checkers might disappear! Essentially, I will need to get some leather and see how the checkers look.

svilo: Right now I'm building a board for myself, but I would like to be a board maker one day. It took me a while to find my checkers, but I have those now so it's time to make a board to match! Do you know where I can get a Jumbo Doubling Cube and Precision die for a reasonable price?

If you just want to make a board for yourself it is sure a waste of time. Especially if you like to make a quality board for the checkers you show. It took me many yeards (since 1991) to reach what I am still not satisfied with.
Mind you, the market for this type of boards is quite small not only these days.

Which country are you from? You can also drop me a line at my e-mail.
I can help you on every phase of your development as a boardbuilder, but always bear in mind the previous paragraph.

Jumbo is a name of something small - a baby elephant from a US zoo that became world known. Big cubes can be found from CJC, the online backgammon shop, the AK spiele, on tournaments. Robertie? How many do you need? Precision dice are offered at the same places. I offer them at www.gammoncity.com/precisio.htm

I live in Canada.

I will only need 1 or 2 cubes and 2 or 4 pairs of dice to start with -Black cube with white writing 36mm or bigger - Yellow and Smokey dice, and/or Red and Blue dice. Do you carry larger cubes?

Perhaps with your experience you can help me understand the best way ito do the inlaid leather? I figure there's two methods 1) cut each pieces perfectly and put everything together and glue like a big puzzle or 2) cut wooden shapes, and then wrap those in leather and put everything together and glue like a big puzzle. Is there another method I'm missing, or is one of those easier or better than the other?

Thanks,
Nathan

Love the checkers! I've made a few sets from various types of wood (Koa, Mango, etc.) and I've looked into getting some stone pieces made. I love these glassy ones though. How were they fabricated? What are they made of? Can others (like me) get some? And the inevitable bottom line... what would they cost?
PJinHawaii

Thanks PJinHawaii. I'm not sure exactly how they are fabricated, I get them made from a factory over seas. They are made of Glass, which gives them a nice heft but also makes them vulnerable to chipping unfortunately.

I've thought about selling the checkers, but after manufacturing and shipping costs, I would need to sell them for $350 for 32 checkers + shipping, just to make a profit. I don't think people will pay that price, so for now I am just collecting them for myself.

Nathan

Actually, that price sounds pretty reasonable to me for such artistic checkers. I have a beautiful wooden custom board that demands equally special checkers.

The natural stone carving place I was talking to would charge twice that, Incredibly beautiful results though.

PJ

Well PJ, if you want a set send me a PM and we can exchange e-mails. There's a range of colors to choose from.

So, I think I'm just going to get a Cube made for my Blue and Orange (soon to be red) Checkers, but I'm having a hard time deciding on color.

So far what I'm thinking is; 1) Smokey Cube with White writing 2) Black Cube with White writing 3) Clear Cube with Black writing. 4) Light Blue Cube with Black or White writing

If anyone has any comments on those options, or have a combination of your own that you think would look good I'd appreciate your feedback!

For your cube, I would go with either option 1 or 3, considering your checkers' colors.

But I would leave the checkers orange!

It's funny uberkuber, 2 years ago or so, when I first started looking into creating my own checkers, I started with acrylic rod and the colors I used were Blue and Orange, almost identical to the checkers I have today. I've always liked the contrast of those two colors, but when I made a 3D rendering of the blue and red board I fell in love!
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the right color blue in leather, so red/blue or orange/blue might be out of the question all together.

But thanks for commenting uberkuber! I may just order a Smokey Cube And a Clear Cube, as they seem to be the best option for most color combinations.