The Lux List / Collectibles

An incredibly valuable Roman glass gaming die was sold in 2003 at auction by the famous Christie’s auction house for $17,925. Deep blue-green in color, the large twenty-sided die is incised with a distinct symbol on each of its faces. It was the property of a Maryland fine arts professor and were acquired by his […]

Jun 19, 2008 | By Luxuo

An incredibly valuable Roman glass gaming die was sold in 2003 at auction by the famous Christie’s auction house for $17,925. Deep blue-green in color, the large twenty-sided die is incised with a distinct symbol on each of its faces.

It was the property of a Maryland fine arts professor and were acquired by his father in Egypt in the 1920s.

Several polyhedra in various materials with similar symbols are known from the Roman period but the funny thing is that historians have not yet established the game for which these dice were used !