Old English Bagatelle Balls
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Balls for Victorian Bagatelle Tables
Pictured are a set of 1 7/8 inch balls and a set of 1 inch balls. Bagatelle games are normally played with 1 black ball and either 8 whites or 4 whites and 4 reds. So our sets of balls have 8 white balls and 4 red balls - which gives you the flexibility to play any of the games played on a Bagatelle table. To determine the ball diameter required, measure the inside diameter of the cups on your table. Your balls need to be the same as or slightly bigger than this diameter. Alternatively, we have done a bit of research which we've put into the table below. However, the following guide is not guaranteed because there were no standards in Victorian times and there are all sorts of anomalies out there. You are best advised to measure your cup diameter directly.
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Old
English bagatelle was very popular in Victorian times in the
home and the full size version of the game has been played upon
slate-bed tables for centuries in British pubs in certain parts
of England. Like a Billiards Table, there are a variety of games
that can be played upon a Bagatelle table and like 
Masters
Games has gone to great lengths to provide sets of balls for
the old Victorian Bagatelle tables so that this great old game
can still be enjoyed by those who have picked up a table. 
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The History of Bagatelle
The original game of bagatelle was and is a pub game of skill that is closely related to the games of Billiards, Pool and Snooker. A competition bagatelle table is of a similar form to a Billiards table, slate bed, cloth covered with cushions and measuring 6 - 10 feet long and 2 - 3 feet wide. The first major difference from a billiard table is that one end is rounded instead of square. The second diversion is that instead of pockets around the edge, the semicircular end features nine holes (in the manner of Bar Billiards), one in the middle of the semi circle and the rest surrounding it evenly in a ring. A variety of games can be played with it but all involve the players standing at the square end of the table and hitting the balls with a cue towards the holes at the other end. The origins of bagatelle are even less clear than most games of a similar history although, since the name is a French one, the most obvious guess is a French derivation. From 1770 to 1850, it seems that the bagatelle was just as popular as Billiards throughout England and Britain. To add to the mystery further, the French version of his catalogue refers to the game as "Billiards Anglais".... In the mid 19th century, bagatelle joined the long list of restricted and banned games when a Gaming Act decreed that there should be "no play on a public billiard table or bagatelle table from 1 am to 8 am and on Sundays, Christmas Day and Good Friday".
These days, the name bagatelle is far more likely to conjure up the image of the children's pastime wherein marbles or ball bearings are shot onto a board which features areas fenced in by nails hammered into its surface. Each container scores different points depending upon the likelihood of a ball finishing in it. An entertaining game, generally considered to be for children, the resemblance to the original pub game is not overwhelming. This smaller version began to appear in the late 19th century. The similarities are that the players shoot balls from the square end of the board towards the semi-circular end of the board with the objective of getting the balls to land in scoring holes and areas on the board surface. However, the whole board has been miniaturised to a table-top size. Presumably because aiming the balls was too difficult for youngsters, the balls are run up a channel on the right hand side instead of needing to be aimed. The targets are enlarged by virtue of surrounding nails. And the elements of skill have generally been almost replaced by that of luck. No points are scored if the balls roll right back down to the bottom edge of the board. Early boards all required the balls to be struck up the channel by a cue in the same way as for the adult game. Modern games usually feature a sprung plunger as an alternative or a replacement to the more traditional stick.
Of course, as many readers will have realised, the evolution of the game did not stop at here because children's bagatelle has two children of it's own - pinball and pachinko in all their myriad forms. Even though the success of these modern electronic forms has eclipsed the old games, most people will find the original games to be an experience just as rewarding....