Pitch
Penny
There are a whole variety of games which simply involve the throwing of coins or discs at walls or at holes in a bench, chair, wall or box. This game has been going on for time immemorial and its origins are lost in time.
The most well know example in England comes from Norfolk and Essex and is called Pitch Penny, Penny Seat, Penny Slot, Tossing the Penny or Penny in the Hole. Essentially pennies are thrown across the room and into a hole carved in the seat of a high-backed settle or wooden bench.
The illustration is from a children's book published in 1744. The chap on the left is throwing a coin at the hole which is presumably located at the centre of the little mound in front of him. The title of the picture is "Chuck Farthing" so it seems that the name of the game changed over the years as the currency changed. The same thing happened for Shove Ha'penny which was previously called "Push Penny" and prior to that "Shove Groat". The accompanying poem reads "As you value your Pence, At the Hole take your aim; Chuck all safely in, And you'll win the game". One might reasonably deduce from this that several coins were thrown in a turn.
Toad in the Hole
Toad in the Hole is nowadays a markedly Sussex game, centred around the town of Lewes, where the World Championship is held each year. In truth, and rule variations notwithstanding, it is is the same game as Pitch Penny, the only difference being that a dedicated table or box is used instead of using a bit of convenient furniture that already lies in the pub.
The game seems to have originated around East Sussex and although it is less popular than in previous years, it has a steadfast and loyal following and is thriving in the areas where it is played. The Lewes Lions Club in Lewes, East Sussex organises the "International 'Toad-In-The-Hole' Competition" annually in the Town Hall in Lewes. Lion Ken Shipway, President of of the club, wrote to inform the author that the game had a resurgence in recent years thanks to the competition. For instance, the 2006 competition entertained 192 competitors in 48 teams of 4 people. Up to the final it is the best of 3 games in a match and in the final it is the best of 5 games. Teams from all over the world are invited to enter! The author visited the World Championship in 2009, where they had more entrants than they can cope with and so some of the less "serious" teams don't make it to the starting line.
There are varieties but commonly weighty brass discs, "toads", are thrown about 8 feet or so at a table. In the centre of the table, which is really just a wooden box on legs, is a hole at which the discs are aimed. Discs which descend through the hole end up in a large drawer which forms the interior of the table and which is pulled out to collect the discs after each turn. 2 points are scored for a toad in the hole, 1 point for a toad resting on the top of the table and normally four toads are thrown per turn.
The
pictures show a modern commercial version of the game from the author's
collection featuring rubber instead of brass toads. It was obtained
from Masters Traditional Games.
There is a mystery surrounding this game - that of its origin. In continental Europe, the similar game is called Frog or Toad because one of the holes is a frog hole but in England it is the disks themselves that are called Toads and the hole is just a hole. A further twist to the plot is that "Toad in the Hole" is also the name of a traditional Yorkshire dish consisting of sausagemeat in batter. So what exactly is the relationship between the UK game and the European game?
The Oxford English dictionary has some extra information:- a quote from E.H.Pinto, Treen, states "Toad in the hole probably originated in England in Tudor times. But the fact that this 1969 passage is the first mention of the game that the OED has found belies the statement, somewhat. On the other hand, the dish called Toad in the Hole was first recorded in print in 1787. The Guinness book of pub games mentions a Mr. Aubrey Charman who apparently saw the European version of the game in Alfriston in the 1920's. Consequently, it seems likely that the game appeared in Southern England in the early part of the 20th century.
So really, there are two potential theories for the ancestry of "Toad in the Hole". The author would like to propose the first hypothesis as follows. The game was seen in Europe by some enterprising Englishman and upon his return, he decided to make his own "Toad" game. Being as how the continental game is quite a complicated bit of furniture, a simpler device was concocted with just the one hole. Although a less interesting visual spectacle, a single hole is actually a greater test of skill... But now there was no toad on the board to make sense of the name, so over time it went from "Toad game" to the better known phrase "Toad in the Hole". And the adopted name immediately gives rise to the implication that the disks are in fact the toads. QED.
A second and rather less contrived theory would simply be that Toad in the Hole is simply a modern version of those old games found all over England in Pubs, Churches & public areas that involve tossing a coin into a hole. Genuine Toad in the Hole games have a playing surface covered in solid lead which gives some subtle opportunities that are unique - for instance, some players are adept at digging the edge of the toad into the soft metal as it lands so that it bounces back towards towards the hole rather than sliding forward into it. The Essex and Norfolk Pitch Penny holes are (or were) also usually surrounded by lead so any story that they are not related would seem rather far-fetched. Perhaps the name, however, did come about due to some random influence from across the channel.
The Frog Game
In the rest of Europe, it would seem to be a safe bet that similar games
were also quite common through the ages. 
A
relative and perhaps a descendant of such games is still played in bars
and cafes in certain parts of Europe. It consists of a piece of
furniture with several holes in the top surface plus obstacles to make
these targets more challenging. The number of holes, size and design
of table and the rules all vary from region to region. Players attempt
to throw coins or disks in the holes which score differently according
to their difficulty. Disks that land successfully slide down to
the front of the table to a compartment at the front of the table showing
the score. Another quote in the OED refers to the European game
as being a charity game.
In Portugal the game is called Jogo do Sapo, in France it is known as La Grenouille or Tonneau in Belgium Tonspel or Pudebak, and in Catalonia - La Rada. It is also popular in South America where it is called Sapo. Linguists will observe that these names mean "Frog" or "Toad" game. The reason for this is that generally the most difficult hole is in the shape of an ornate frog or toad in the centre.
The picture on the left shows an example of "La Grenouille" from Normandy. This was very kindly sent for scanning by Anita Chapman, Liverpool, England.
On the right, there is a picture of Sapo at a hotel in Nasca, Peru. Courtesy Lucy Worrall and Matthew Murphy.
Cornhole
A game which may well be a derivative of Toad in the Hole is the American game of "Cornhole". It seems to be centred around Cincinnati, Ohio where is all the rage but it is rumoured to have begun in Indiana and one person wrote to the author from Minnesota about the game. It uses four bean bags per two man team. There are two (4 x 2 feet) ramps with holes apprx 6 inches from the top (high part) of the ramp or board and directly centered. The boards are placed around 30 feet apart and each team has a player placed at each board. Play alternates between players at one end each throwing their teams four bean bags. A typical way to score is that any bag landing on the board without hitting the ground first scores one point. Any bag in the hole scores three points.
In fact, quite a number of people have written to the author asking for rules, board dimensions and so forth but really the game appears to be a bit of an informal craze - without any 'official' rules or regulations. Pundits needn't be concerned - this just makes it easier to construct your own boards without any worries. Many pub games have been without any official rules for centuries and all the better for it...
Holeyboard
A
number of people from North America have written to the author enquiring
about a game that is apparently popular in that region called "Holeyboard"
or "Washers" or "Ringers". In this game, large washers
(flat metal rings about 1 - 2 inches diameter) are thrown by a person
standing on one box towards another box 8 feet away. Each box is has 3
holes about 10 inches apart and the holes score 1 point for the near hole,
3 points for the middle hole and 5 points for the furthest hole. Players
go backwards and forwards, alternating the target box in the same manner
as for quoits or bowls. The objective is to reach exactly 21 points. Various
dimensions for the boxes et al have been reported and it appears to be
common to connect the two boxes with cord or rope - presumably so that
setting them at the correct distance is merely a matter of pulling the
rope taut. One person reported that he played with cups instead of holes
and another believed that the game was originally played with holes in
the ground - certainly, there do not appear to be any standards.
There is another version of "Washers" in existence which is like a missing link between the game described above and the old game of Quoits. Instead of 3 holes, the object is still to throw washers into a single cup which is set into pits reminiscent of quoit pits. Is this a single hole version of the above game or is it a variation of quoits with a hole instead of a stake?
The origin of this game isn't clear and it's relationship to the other games on this page, if any, is a mystery. If anyone, can shed any light on these matters, the author would be pleased to receive an email from them.
Pubs
Please see the separate Toad in the Hole & Pitch Penny Pubs and Leagues page.
Rules
Masters Traditional Games publishes free rules for traditional games.
Where to buy
Some sites that sell Sapo are
Santa Beatriz,
in Peru
Juegos del Sapo from Argentina.
Good site including plans to make the game.
To find the Frog Game in France, search for "Jeu de la grenouille".
www.sapousa.com imports games from Peru.
Sapo Miami claims to the the exclusive distributor in the US.
jm at tradgames.org.uk