Shove Half Penny Board

The game of shove half penny has been a popular pastime for centuries. It was so popular in medieval England that large amounts of money could be wagered on the game, and the board had to be kept in a room at the back of pubs to prevent untrustworthy patrons from playing and causing brawls that would be bad for business. Even King Henry the VIII of England played, and records show that he had to pay out substantial sums to members of his court who beat him. The game is played with five coins, which are shoved up the board, which is scored with horizontal lines. The aim is to score points by getting the coins in the space between these lines, so 'bedding' them. Attempts can be made to knock other coins into other positions or out of position and the game requires a suprising level of strategy - for example, it is a bad idea to 'bed' the third coin until later on in the game. This is our popular Master Shove Halfpenny Board and features a real mahogany veneered playing surface with inlaid bed lines and light side scoring sections. Each board comes complete with a set of 5 genuine old English halfpennies.