Historical Quoiting Rules

Published in the Past 

Because the game of Quoits had never produced a governing body to formally standardize the game, many variations in rules, scoring, playing courts and even the quoits themselves had been developed, depending on geographical region.  A different version of quoits could be found in almost any locale that played the game.  On this page are listed an assortment of printed sources that defined various rules for Quoits as understood by each publisher, at varying periods in American history.  Historical Quoit rules can be found in such publications as old sporting guides, backyard game reference books, or encyclopedias, and also rules sheets that were included with original sets of manufactured Quoits.  

Feel free to peruse any or all of the following pages, and compare the many differences that were found in the game - the quoits themselves, the design of the pits and playing courts, the scoring methods, and the overall game play.  You will note that variations can result from regional, environmental, or even geological influences.  Some of the older documents are quite interesting reading, as the English language was quite "flowery" in its descriptiveness a century or more ago!

If you possess any old documents containing published rules for the Game of Quoits,

please contact troy@quoits.info to get them added to these pages

PLEASE NOTE: The rules posted on these pages below pertain to historical versions of quoits which will differ greatly from the modern game commonly played today.  For the current Official Rules of Standard American Quoits, click on this link:

Official USQA Rules for Modern-Day American Quoits