Description

Dice games were forbidden in early James Fort, but some settlers smuggled small dice in their clothing anyway. Some of their dice have been unearthed by archaeologists. Read more about the James Fort dice here.

Colonial soldiers were known to hammer their musket balls into crude dice. Although gambling games were met with disapproval from many early Americans, dice were nonetheless a common item on household inventories and many board games called for a pair of dice for play. These dice are cast of lead-free pewter to resemble closely in size and weight the soldier’s handmade lead dice.