D20 For Sale - $18k Or Nearest Offer!

[Olaf the Stout]

Check this out. Supposedly it is a Roman Glass gaming die that was auctioned by Christies. It was expected to go for $4,000-$6,000 but ended up selling for almost $18,000! Must have been a pretty keen gamer.

Olaf the Stout

 

[airwalkrr]

That's quite incredible. The text said circa 2nd century AD. Maybe Garius Gygaxius lived long ago...

 

[wedgeski]

Wow! That's like the Dead Sea Scrolls of gaming! Thanks for the link.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

That's quite incredible. The text said circa 2nd century AD. Maybe Garius Gygaxius lived long ago...

Looks like they used the dXX system back then!

Olaf the Stout

 

[Aus_Snow]

True20, M&M, HeroQuest 2.0. . . I wonder what those crazy Romans were playing.

It looks really pretty anyway, IMO.

 

[Jupp]

I could easily imagine a DM using that D20 with the words "Through the mists of the ages, from the days at the dawn of time, this die will make you tremble in fear and horror....The little kobold attacks with his vicious blade....*rolls d20*....BEHOLD! The Ancient Natural 20! *players flee the game table*

 

[wedgeski]

Just fear what would happen when you rolled a natural "H with curly bits on".

 

[Tav_Behemoth]

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has two of these d20 on display - one is glass and one is faience, if I recall correctly - in their Greek and Roman exhibit (upstairs from the chariot, in a glass case on the west wall). They have letters on the faces, and the museum catalog says they were used as oracles.

 

[avin]

Maybe fortune-telling instead of gaming?

https://star-cosmos.com/starcomsos_blog/2009/05/ancient-greek-fortune-telling-game-with-dice/

 

[Rykion]

We still use the same fortune telling system today. We just float it inside a Magic 8 Ball.