This vintage mahjong set (circa 1925) is housed in a rosewood box decorated with imagery of dragons and of men playing the tile game.  The set is in great condition, though a few of the game tiles have become slightly discolored over the years.  Atop the box are two metal handles by which the game is carried.  The front panel of the mahjong set slides upward to reveal five interior wooden drawers containing the traditional 144 tiles as well as counters, chips, and dice.  The game tiles are made of bone beveled into bamboo and have English letters on some tiles, indicating that this set was intended to be sold to the European and American markets.  The entire mahjong set was manufactured in China.  A more modern booklet (circa 1955) of rules accompanies the set.

Mahjong is a tile game for four players that originated in China. Mahjong involves skill, strategy, and calculation as well as a certain degree of chance. Depending on the variation played, luck can be anything from a minor to a dominant factor in success. In Asia, mahjong is popularly played as a gambling game.  The game was a sensation in America when it was imported from China in the 1920s, and it became popular among women as a game of skill as well as fashion, as it was not unlikely for the game players to dress as Chinese noble women.