Jaques developed and published The Arena around 1860. It was hailed as a game of skill and amusement and to be played on a leather board covered in numbered squares using 24 pieces. The set in the Collection has the box, the 24 pieces or men, but no board or rules so it is not clear exactly how the game was played. It combined chance with skill without the use of a dice – sometimes the element of gambling within games was not popular at that time and alternatives were required.