Le Derby

Horse race in a blue box

Model: 2220
Type: Games
Topic: Games
Mechanism: Friction
Movement: Pulling a lever makes the horses move in a circle
Materials: Tin, metal & cardboard
Dimensions (LxWxH cm): 21x21x9
Condition: Very Good
Box: Good

Research notes

there are several variants of this toy: 1) the game board inside the box can have different colours and curved lines, and the game can have a central cup while the horses pass under four arches. The "Jeu de Course" main rules were simple and focused on chance and betting.: Initial Bets: Before the race began, players placed their chips or money in a central container, often a metal bowl integrated into the board. Each player chose a horse to bet on. Activation of the Mechanism: The race was started by one of the players using the spring-loaded lever. This caused the metal horses to rotate on concentric circular tracks. Determining the Winner: The winner was not necessarily the horse that completed the most laps, but rather the one that stopped closest to the finish line (often marked by a post with a French flag).