For the Love of the Game

The holidays are over, the tree and all the trimmings have been tucked away. But the days are short, the nights are cold…it’s the season for board and card games. Let’s explore the history of some of the most popular games and the items we use to play them.

Board Games

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that history is filled with innovative board games – senet, parcheesi, mancala, mahjong, chess and checkers are all truly ancient games. In the 16th century, “Game of the Goose” was created by the Medici family and gifted to King Phillip; as such, it has the distinction of being the first commercial board game in history. While most historic games were made for adults, it didn’t take long in modern times for games to be adapted for children.

The prototype to Monopoly was called “The Landlord’s Game.” Elizabeth Magie created it in 1902 and patented it in 1904 (U.S. patent 748,626). Her goal was to use the game to illustrate the evils of capitalism, so Magie’s version had two sets of rules, one showing the cut-throat nature of capitalism, and the other showing how an egalitarian arrangement benefited all the players.

Perhaps not surprisingly, players enjoyed the more competitive version. Parker Brothers first purchased a similar game from Charles Darrow, then Magie’s patented version for approximately $500, and eventually they evolved into the modern version we still play today.

Of course, many other games came on the heels of Monopoly and are beloved today, including LIFE, Candy Land, Battleship, Scrabble, Sorry, Clue, Mousetrap and so many others.

Card Games

Like board games, cards have been around for millenia. The earliest reference to a card game comes from China – the Tang dynasty was recorded playing a “leaf” game in 868. By the 1300s, cards and card games proliferated across Europe and in 1867, Bicycle playing cards were mass-produced in the U.S., and we’ve been shuffling and dealing ever since – from black jack and poker, to gin rummy, pinochle, bridge and solitaire, and so many others.

It wasn’t long before children’s card games were created for little hands and short attention spans: Old Maids, Go Fish, Slap Jack, Crazy Eights, and Uno, to name a few.

How much are antique games and card decks worth?

According to some sources, it’s not the most popular board games that are worth the most:

Be a Manager, made in 167 by BAMCOI is worth approx. $1,500; and a 1935 version of Fortune made by Parker Brothers is worth $1,360.

There were 650 copies of the “Last Edition” of Monopoly made in Salem, Mass in 1991, when Hasbro took over the brand and closed the plant. They were gifted to the employees and most of them have not surfaced on the open market, but one was listed on eBay for a little over $2,100 – a far higher asking price than much older versions of the game.

Mr. Darrow produced 5,000 copies of his Monopoly-type game before selling his patent. One of those originals fetched almost $150,000 when purchased by a museum.

Just how much are antique playing cards worth? Not as much as you might think. In fact, the most expensive playing cards are relatively new, mostly produced in the 21st century – some Fontaine decks, Tally-Ho Scarlett and David Blaine’s “Create Magic” are all worth several hundred dollars and up for a deck. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a rare set of Tarot cards believed to be the world’s oldest complete set, and they paid $143,000 for them to the private collector who first had them.

Bottom line: Don’t get too giddy if you spot an early edition of a board game or deck of cards in an estate sale or anywhere else. They are still fairly easy to find, and not highly valued. (Unless of course, you stumble upon a Darrow version of Monopoly, or the Medici family’s gift to King Phillip.)

Using game pieces in your home

Vintage game bits and pieces can be remade into interesting pieces of art. Perfect for your game room, and perhaps in other rooms as well. Here are some ideas on how to incorporate game pieces that are no longer fully functioning games – decoupage them onto chairs, hang boards as wall art, or make shelves from them. Or use playing pieces to create a unique clock.

It’s time to locate your new and old board and card games and play with them with friends and family. After all, it’s the memories and the moments that will stand the test of time, long after the game has gotten buried in a closet. Want to make sure your cards and board games hold up for as long as possible? Here are a few suggestions for extending the life of them:

1. Tape the corners of the boxes to reinforce them.

2. Don’t stack them too high; you can turn them on their sides if that helps you organize them better.

3. Wipe any spills or smudges off the cards, playing pieces and board with a soft damp cloth and allow to air dry before storing.

4. Tuck a dryer sheet or extra silica packets in with your games to prevent musty odors.

5. Treat them as any paper ephemera and don’t store them in extremely hot or damp conditions. Try to keep them in a fairly controlled climate, like an interior closet or cabinet.

But most of all, USE THEM! When used regularly, board and card games have one of the lowest costs-per-hour of enjoyment of any game or toy you’ll ever buy.