I don't know who made these architectural building blocks or precisely when, but I do believe they are the most beautiful ones I've ever seen, and will happily continue playing with them for as long as I have them (as I have already spent a fun chink of time doing!) There are 28 in total here, of graduated sizes, with two of the largest one featuring an arched door on one side, and all the rest with grids of black squares on all sides, plus green tops and bottoms. The tops feature square recesses on one end and positives of the same on the other, meaning they stack well and stay put. And the possibilities for building towers, or city blocks or just walls of pure pattern with these is pretty vast--and any way one arranges them, they're just gorgeous.

Largest" 2 1/8" cubed. Smallest: 1 1/16" cubed. Solid wood with litho printing I believe. Color is black on cream, which reads a bit green in some of the photos and a bit pink in others. Scuffs and dings, all to the good I think. Earlyish 20th c. I would think.