Royal Depth Control American Beauty Vintage American Mah Jongg Set | White
AMERICAN BEAUTY VINTAGE AMERICAN MAH JONGG SET | WHITE
A & L Manufacturing Co., Inc. | Late 1960s–Early 1970s
Consider yourself warned: this is the sort of set that gets people into trouble.
The American Beauty is a familiar and beloved name among vintage American Mah Jongg collectors, and for good reason. These sets are beautifully made, wonderfully playable, and have just enough variation from set to set to make you start thinking perhaps you need another one. And then another.
Made by A & L Manufacturing Co., Inc., American Beauty was proudly marketed as a completely American-made mahjong set. A & L called its material Alite and promoted it as a non-fading material developed to overcome the discoloration found in some earlier plastics.
The company also developed what it called its exclusive "Royal Depth Control" process to create deeply embossed, highly polished tiles with greater uniformity. The carving was then hand-painted in multiple colors, including gold.
And those tiles really are the stars here.
This collection includes 153 original Alite tiles with the crisp white faces, deeply embossed designs, and wonderfully saturated colors that make American Beauty sets so distinctive. Among them are nine original carved Jokers, giving this set everything it needs for modern American Mah Jongg play, with original tiles to spare.
ABOUT THOSE FLOWERS
One of our favorite things about this particular set is its wonderful assortment of original flower tiles.
American Beauty sets were produced with several different flower runs, including vases, seasons, and maidens.
Somewhere along the way, a previous steward of this set appears to have chosen their favorite eight flowers for regular play.
What remains with the playable set is one complete original run of four flower vases, along with four additional flowers selected from the vase, season, and maiden designs.
We also found three orphaned original flower tiles from another run and have added them to the collection. For someone who plays other forms of mahjong, or simply enjoys studying the wonderful variations found in vintage sets, they're a particularly fun addition.
It was not unusual for extra tiles that weren't needed for someone's regular game to become separated from a set over the decades. They were sometimes given away, made into jewelry, tucked into drawers, or simply lost to time.
A LITTLE PIECE OF ITS PLAYING HISTORY
Tucked inside the case when we found it was a very well-loved 1985–86 National Mah Jongg League card.
At some point, someone appears to have cut the card, perhaps to make it fit into a sleeve, and later taped it back together.
It's rough. It certainly isn't valuable ephemera. And we're leaving it exactly where we found it.
That little card tells us something the tiles alone cannot: years after this set was made, someone was still sitting down with it and playing American Mah Jongg.
We think that's worth preserving.
DETAILS
Maker: A & L Manufacturing Co., Inc.
Set: The American Beauty
Estimated Date: Late 1960s–Early 1970s
Material: Alite
Manufacturing Process: A & L's "Royal Depth Control" deeply embossed process
Original Tile Count: 153
Original Carved Jokers: 9
Total Collection: 156 tiles, including three additional/orphan flower tiles
Tile Size: 22.21 mm W × 31.45 mm H × 12.49 mm D
Flowers: One complete run of four vases, plus a mixed selection of vase, season, and maiden flowers
Racks: Four Catalin racks
Case: Original case
Accessories: Pair of dice
Ephemera: Well-loved 1985–86 National Mah Jongg League card found with the set
WHY WE LIKE IT
Some vintage sets are interesting because of their rarity. Others because of their beauty. This American Beauty has something we value even more: an exceptional combination of originality, condition, playability, and history.
The crisp white Alite tiles are striking, particularly alongside the deeply embossed, hand-painted carving that A & L promoted as its Royal Depth Control process. With 153 original tiles, including nine original carved Jokers, this is a remarkably generous surviving collection.
Add the original case, four Catalin racks, wonderful assortment of original flower designs, and the little pieces of playing history that have remained with it, and this becomes much more than simply a beautiful vintage set.
It is also extraordinarily playable. These substantial tiles feel wonderful in the hand, are easy to read across the table, and have the presence that makes a great vintage set every bit as enjoyable to play as it is to collect.
American Beauty has long been beloved by vintage American Mah Jongg collectors, and sets like this one explain why. It represents a fascinating chapter in American mahjong manufacturing, when companies were developing distinctly American materials, designs, and production methods for a game that had traveled halfway around the world.
This is the kind of vintage set we love most at Ozark Mah Jongg: beautiful enough to collect, interesting enough to study, and far too much fun to leave sitting in its case.
And fair warning: American Beauty has a reputation around here as something of a gateway drug to vintage mahjong collecting.
This is a particularly lovely one to fall for.
NOTE: Photos are "as-is." They have not been digitally altered. Vintage mah jongg sets were created for play, and a well-loved set will naturally carry patina, gentle wear, and small reminders of the people who gathered around it. We do not consider those signs of age to be imperfections. They are part of the set’s character and continuing story.
If your expectation is factory perfection, a vintage set may not be the right choice. But if you are drawn to hand-finished craftsmanship, beautiful playability, and the privilege of becoming the next steward of a remarkable piece of mahjong history, this set is something special.
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