Gifts for a 70 Year Old Man Who Has Everything

By seventy, most men have long since bought themselves everything they need, and many are actively trying to own less. Another gadget or a shirt adds clutter. What a man of seventy often wants more of is time with people and something to keep his mind busy — and the best gifts give him both.

The test: will he use it with someone?

Before buying, ask: will this bring someone to the table with him? A game that family, friends or neighbours will sit down to play is used for years. A gift used alone is still good if it keeps him thinking, but the shared ones are remembered.

Gifts for the table: games to share

• Chinese checkers. A wooden Chinese checkers board with marbles stored in drawers plays two to six, so the whole family can join in. It takes five minutes to learn — see Chinese checkers rules. The glass marbles are not for small children.
• Cribbage. If he already plays, a folding three-track cribbage board lets three play at once. If he does not, how to play cribbage is a good new skill for a retired mind.
• Dominoes. A double-six set plays dozens of games; Mexican train suits a crowd.

Gifts that make card games easier

Small comforts keep a card player playing.

• Large-print cards. A jumbo index deck has big numbers in the corners, easy to read across a table or in low light.
• Card holders. Curved wooden card holders hold a full hand, so nobody has to fan thirteen cards for an hour. Our guide to playing card holders explains which kind helps whom.

Gifts that keep the mind busy

• A puzzle box. A wooden puzzle box with secret drawers is a puzzle first and then a place to keep small treasures — cufflinks, a medal, an old letter. Finding the sequence of moves takes an evening; remembering it a month later is a second puzzle. See puzzle boxes for adults.
• A desk toy to think with. Something to turn over in the hands while reading or on the phone keeps the fingers and mind moving; a well-made metal piece looks at home on a study desk rather than like a toy.

What to avoid at seventy

• More clutter. If it needs a shelf of its own, think twice.
• Anything that jokes about age. Most men of seventy have heard every one.
• Gadgets with apps. Unless he asks, a gift that needs setting up on a phone often goes unused.

A keepsake for his 70th birthday

For a milestone birthday, a keepsake that will be passed down later is a fitting choice. A pocket watch is the classic: something to carry now, and to hand on one day. Add a note with seventy in it — seventy reasons, or seven memories from seven decades.

Quick picks

For more, see retirement gifts for men and gifts for grandpa who has everything.