How old is Monopoly

How old is Monopoly

How old is Monopoly

Monopoly has been credited as being the invention of Charles Darrow but it was actually based on a game which he'd played before with some Quakers in Atlantic City in 1932, and started life in 1903 as The Landlord's Game which was invented and patented by Lizzie J. Magie as an anti-capitalist statement. Darrow made the first games by hand in 1933 but Parker Brothers rejected his attempt to sell them the game a year later, citing 52 'fundamental' design errors.

However, Darrow's 5,000 handmade games, many of which were sold through a Philadelphia department store, proved so successful that Parker Brothers bought the rights in 1935 and are celebrating their Monopoly's official 70th birthday in 2005.

By 1936, it had become America's best-selling board game and it was decided to branch out into different cities. Boardwalk was to become Mayfair in the English version.

The famous metal tokens were first used in 1937 but with metal needed for the war effort they were replaced by wooden figures from 1943-47. The famous automobile still has a vintage feel because it has not changed since its creation and it was not until 1999 that a new token was introduced, a sack of money.

How old is Monopoly

Memory lane

People collect Monopoly not just because of its nostalgia factor but for the different versions that they produced, with many countries and towns around the world having their own sets, including Birmingham and Las Vegas. Many films and television programmes also have sets including The Simpsons and Star Wars.

One of the most appealing versions is unlikely to be found because it was made of chocolate for Nieman Marcus and sold for an amazing $600. Franklin Mint make a hard wood Collector's Edition game with gold and silver-plated pieces for around £400 that sells for about £100-150 second-hand at auction, showing that some special sets are ideal for collecting and playing but are not necessarily good investments.

How old is Monopoly

By the book

The Monopoly copyright is so fiercely protected that Tim Moore's fantastic book on the history of the English version of the game was banned from using any of the renowned symbols, including Colonel Moneybags.

How old is Monopoly

Any visitor to an American casino will find the slot versions irresistible, part of their appeal being in their sheer foreignness because we are so used to seeing the British streets.

Totopoly, the horse-racing spin-off of Monopoly, is popular in its own right. First seen in 1938, 1950s sets of the British-invented game sell for as little as £20-40. When it comes to Monopoly and its spin-offs, you won't make a fortune but it's worth taking a chance.  

   Collectibles Coach