World's oldest D20 anyone?

[Cor Azer]

I think the dice guys mentioned this in one of the recent Dice Question/collection threads. It went for just over $17,000 if I recall.

 

[Len]

Wonder how much it went for and who got it?

It sold for $17,925.
http://www.sjgames.com/ill/archives.html?y=2003&m=December&d=14

 

[Zander]

Are the symbols on there numbers or are they representative of soemthing else?

They're Greek letters. It's a matter of some debate whether they represent numbers or not.

On the one hand, Greek letters were used as numbers in Ptolemaic Greece and Egypt and there's a d12 at the Louvre museum in Paris that's clearly numbered with Greek letters from 1 to 12.

On the other hand, the choice of letters used on the d20 does not correspond exactly to any known system. Moreover, a d20 at the Louvre of similar age to the one auctioned has both Roman letters and numbers. The letters and numbers do not match. There's a diagram showing it in a book by F.N. David.

We don't know what the ancient d20s were used for. Until we find a set of rules, we may never figure out what the Greek symbols represent.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

It'd be something to see, millenia from now, archeologists finding some of our d20s and wondering what the symbolic meaning to it was.... along with the rest of the set...

 

[Crothian]

It'd be something to see, millenia from now, archeologists finding some of our d20s and wondering what the symbolic meaning to it was.... along with the rest of the set...

There's a pond near my old place with about a half dozen dice at the bottom of it thanks to a really frustrating night at the gaming table.......

 

[Angel Tarragon]

How do you say twenty sided die in Latin?

viginti pars intereo

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Use InterTran for all your translation needs.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

There goes my theory about the d20 being invented in a secret government laboratory.

 

[Zuoken]

There goes my theory about the d20 being invented in a secret government laboratory.

Just when you think you're too paranoid, you find out that you're not paranoid enough...

 

[Darth K'Trava]

There's a pond near my old place with about a half dozen dice at the bottom of it thanks to a really frustrating night at the gaming table.......

That'd be funny to dredge those up while dredging up golf balls......