Toptafel
(Skittles & Top)
This
game is thought to have been originally a Western European game -
it's still played in France and Benelux where it's known as Table
à Toupie and Toptafel, respectively. Nowadays, however, it seems to
be more popular in North America where it's usually called just 'Skittles'.
The idea is to spin a top into the game where it buzzes around the
game surface and into the rooms. Points are scored AND deducted by
knocking over skittles - whoever collects the most points wins!
This game has been produced by the talented craftsmen and students of Berea, Kentucky for more than 70 years. Each one is beautifully hand-made in Tulip Poplar, the skittles turned to a high standard. The craftmen take pride in the differing grains and tones of the wood and no two products are alike. The games are sanded smooth and then finished with a hard clear lacquer coating.
A matching stand for the game is also available.
The game measures 19 x 46 x 5 inches, comes with 15 skittles, 3 tops, full rules and a set of scorecards. The wood is usually of the lighter shade seen in the smaller pictures (the larger picture is deceptively red). It's a game of luck that is great for parties and other fun events.
A complete accessory set is also available consisting
of 15 pins, 2 tops and a set of strings.
Note: All games are shipped from a distribution point in the USA.
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Click on the pictures to enlarge
Change to $  Change to  |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Toptafel (incl. skittles, tops, rules & scorecards) |
£69.39 | £79.80 | 3 + transit time | ||
Stand for Toptafel |
£34.7 | £39.90 | 3 + transit time | ||
Toptafel set of accessories (skittles, tops and strings) |
£24.09 | £27.70 | 3 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
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The Origin of Skittles
Skittles, or Nine Pins, as played in an alley has always been a popular pub game and is the ancestor of related games including ten-pin bowling and various indoor skittles variations. The origins of the game are uncertain but in Germany, in the 3rd or 4th century, monks played a game with a kegel which was a club carried for self defence. In the game, the kegel represented a sin or temptation and the monks would throw stones at it until they knocked it over. The modern German term for skittles is Kegelen. There are also two 14th century manuscripts that show a game called Kayles and depict throwers about to launch a long club-like object at eight pins and a kingpin.
The typical form of Skittles is wherein balls are thrown or rolled from one end of an alley in an effort to knock down nine pins at the other end. Over the years, Skittles developed regional variations in the size of equipment, the rules and so forth. In the East Midlands, people play Long Alley in which the projectiles are rough balls or small capsule shaped logs called "cheeses" and a score is only made if the cheeses bounce a single time just in front of the pins. Old English Skittles or London Skittles, as played at the famous Freemasons Arms in Hampstead, is a majestic game in which enormous discus-shaped cheeses are flung so that they hit the skittles directly without touching the floor first.
From these old games, various miniaturised versions appeared which were more convenient for many pubs with limited space. These include Northamptonshire Skittles and the extremely popular Table Skittles or Devil Amongst The Tailors.
The most popular version of skittles, however, is West Country Skittles wherein 9 skittles are arranged in a square at the end of an alley that might be 24 feet, sometimes much longer. Each turn starts with all the skittles standing and consists of three balls being rolled down the alley. If all the pins are knocked down, then they are reset. So the maximum score in one turn is 27.
You can learn more about the History of Skittles from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.