Skaar Collection

Large group of bone or ivory mahjong scoring or betting sticks. Mahjong has been a poplar form of entertainment for generations. The game was especially popular among early Chinese immigrants.

A deck of Chinese gaming or domino cards.

Eight circular gaming chips in colors of red, blue, yellow, and jade green. Many 19th century Chinese immigrants would relax by playing games or gambling.

A cabinet photo of Dr. Wong Woo wearing traditional Chinese clothing. Photograph taken in Oroville, California.

A pair of adjustable eyeglasses with a brass frame. One lens is missing.

A soldered tin container with label still intact. The original contents are still inside and might be nutmeg.

A carved horn container with a silver inlay and lid. Traces of dried opium tar can be found inside the container.

Cabinet photo of an unidentified young Chinese man. Photo was taken in San Bernardino, California.

Folding brass candleholder. Shown closed.

Folding brass candleholder with candle. Shown open. Candleholder was small enough to be easily carried and may have been used by someone who frequently traveled.

An embossed bean cake jar manufactured by the Quong Yuen Sing & Co. in San Francisco, California. Fermented tofu or bean cake was typically used as a condiment.

An 1876 United States silver trade dollar. Chinese merchants often stamped the coins with "chopmarks" in order to verify their weight and silver content.

A hand carved 'fiddleneck" case containing a scale, an ivory rod, and brass counterweights. This type of scale was designed to be portable and easy to use.

These types of scales were often used by Chinese miners and merchants. During the Gold Rush goods were commonly paid for in gold rather than printed currency.

A folding fan that served as an advertisement for The Oriental Café, a popular Chinese restaurant in the early 1900s.

Reward poster with photo of Ung Coon Ching, also known as Quong Ching, who was wanted for the murder of Yee Fong on July 27, 1905.

A brass mold with ideograms in the base. Original use is unknown but the mold might have been used for gold.

A boxed set of rubber stamps with Chinese characters. These may have been used by a merchant or possibly for printing purposes.

A closed lacquered box containing a sumi brush and inkstick.

Calligraphy or sumi brushes usually have a bamboo handle and brush made from goat, pig, wolf, rabbit or Siberian weasel.

Ink grinding stone with lid. Grinding stones such as this one are used in the making of sumi ink.

Inksticks are made of soot and animal glue. Ink is created by grinding the inkstick against an inkstone with a small amount of water.

A ceramic ink brush washing container. Probably used to clean sumi brushes after use.

A brass lock and key set. The original function and use is unknown.

A decorative brass chicken figurine.