Q: Do you know anything about these horseshoes? They are marked "Patented Shu-Quoi." I bought them at a farm auction in Pennsylvania.

A: Shu-quoi is the name of a game of quoits, which is similar to the game of horseshoes. A "quoit" is tossed at a target in an attempt to get it onto a peg or stake in the middle of the target. The game of quoits has been around for centuries and there are many variations. Most quoits are closed circles made of metal, rope, or rubber. Since your set features both a closed circle and an open end, perhaps more points were given for encircling the pin instead of just hooking it with one of the open ends. Abercrombie & Fitch advertised the lawn game Shu-quoi for $6 in 1934. One game set sold on eBay this year for $30. It included two targets and four metal quoits like yours, except that two were red and two were green.