Table game of Bell and Hammer published in England by J Buckland in 1816

Set of five cards, a wooden cylindrical dice shaker, a set of dice and a miniature bone hammer

This is an entertaining game originating in Germany and first played in England at the beginning of the 19th century, taking its name from the bell and hammer design. It is played with 8 dice and a shaker, a mallet and 36 counters for each player. The best sets in England used ivory parts, however, bone and wooden sets were also produced.

Rules:-
Any number of players may join in the game, which is divided into three phases. Each player has 36 counters and each player to enter Phase One throws all 8 dice. The player with the highest throw becomes the Auctioneer and calls for 4 counters from each player for the pool./kitty. He then auctions off the five cards, one at a time, in exchange for counters that are added to the pool. A player without a card cannot participate in the round and if he is unlucky enough to be out for two successive rounds, his remaining counters are added to the pool.
The Auctioneer bangs his hammer on the table and begins the second phase. Each player throws the dice in turn. If the dice are blanks, the players pay one counter to the owner of the white horse. If the bell, or hammer, or both bell and hammer appear with the other dice remaining blanks , the owners of these cards pay one counter to the owner of the white horse. If the bell, or hammer, or both appear with one or more numbers on the dice, the Auctioneer pays the sum of the numbers in counters from the pool to the owner of the corresponding card or cards. If only blanks and numbers are thrown, the Auctioneer pas the sum of numbers thrown to that player. If a player throws a sum of numbers equal to the counters in the pool the game ends; but if a larger number is thrown, the player pays the difference to the holder of the inn, known as Mine Host. Mine Host opens the inn and phase three begins.
If a player throws all blank dice, the owner of the white horse pays one counter to Mine Host. If the bell or hammer or both are thrown, the other dice being blank, the owners of these cards pay one counter to Mine Host. If a number is thrown with the bell, or hammer or both, the owners of these cartds pay Mine Host, the difference between the number thrown and the counters remaining in the pool. The corresponding number of counters are won from the pool if a player throws a number less than the counters in the pool. He wins the round by throwing the same number as there are counters in the pool, adding them to his store. The winner of one round is the auctioneer of the next.
The game ends when one player holds all the counters.

This entertaining game originated in Germany. It was first played in Great Britain at the beginning of the 19th century. It takes its name from the bell and hammer design. The game is played with eight dice and a shaker, a mallet and 36 counters for each player. The course of play depends on the faces of the dice shown when thrown. The best sets in Britain used ivory for the dice and hammer. Cheaper bone and wooden sets were also produced.

E.1797-1954