ANTIQUES: Croquet By Me

Croquet conjures up visions of English tea parties or—better yet—Alice in Wonderland’s epic game where flamingos serve as mallets and hedgehogs as balls. In fact, Lewis Carroll, writing under his real name—Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson—published the rules for Castle Croquet in Aunt Judy’s Magazine in 1867.

The premise is simple: hit the ball through the wickets with a mallet, and do it sooner than your opponent. The game is played worldwide (though its origin is unknown), and the first record of a croquet court in the United States dates to 1859, in Nahant, Massachusetts. By the 1930s, Hollywood stars such as Harpo Marx and Samuel Goldwyn would bet up to $10,000 on their nine-wicket croquet games.

These particular croquet sets are vintage, rather than antiques, and still completely serviceable. South Bend Toy Works began making the toy sets in 1882, and one of theirs (pictured middle right, $95), may date to the 1940s. The set at top left ($185), which has bright yellow wickets and balls cleverly hidden underneath, was also made by South Bend. The third set (bottom left, $135) has an unusual tube that stores the balls stacked atop one another. Any of these three sets is perfect for a backyard game—though, sadly, none involve flamingos or hedgehogs. [AUGUST 2009]

THE GOODS

Retro Pop Shop
395 Laurel St./Route 20
Lee, Mass.
413.243.0025