American Game Collectors Association Newsletter No. 4, Volume 2

American
Game
Collectors
Association
Box 1179. Great Neck. NY 11023
NEWLETTER #4 Vol 2 No 1&2
AGCA
INTERNATIONAL
The AGCA has gone international.
with the acceptance of its first overseas member. Chris Lewin. from Basingstone. England. Chris found out about
the organization dtiring a recent visit
to the U.S.
If you'd 1 ike
to talk
with a fellow collector abroad. you
can call Chris at 256722180.
MAGAZINE
AGCA
FEATURES
FOCUS
The October issue of ANTIQUE TOY
WORLD magazine will devote an article
to the AGCA. with a focus on its
annual convention. The article will
feature information about the association and some of its collector members
and give a rundown on some of the
events scheduled for the October 31 to
November 2 convention.
CONTENTS
EDI TORIAL ......•....•.......•..... 2
OPEN HOUSE NETWORK •.........•.•... 2
TWAIN GAME ..................................... 2
CONVENTION NEWS ......•....•••..•.. 3
DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOY INDUSTRY ... 4
PRI CE MARX ................................................ 5
19TH CENTURY TOY OUTLETS .••.....•. 5
BOX WRAP ................................................... 5
COMPANY FEATURE: MILTON BRADLEY ... 6
STRONG MUSEUM SOLICITS PAPERS ..... 7
GAME ART •••••••.•••••.•....•. 7
SPORTING GAMES •.••••••.•••..• 8
THE HIGH PRICE OF WAR ........•.... 9
WHO'S WHAT .............................................. 10
FOLK ART GAMEBOARDS •....••...•... 10
AGCA PR ••••••••••.••••••••••••••• 10
LIMAN ~ DENNIS FEATURED ••..•••... I0
ZOETROPE VS WHIRLIGIG ...•..•••... 10
ATW FEATURES MONTHLY GAME PIECE .. ll
DUAL MEMBERSHIP??? ••••••.•...•.. 11
DEGEN & ESTES UPDATE #2 .•.•...... 11
GOING. GOING. GONE ••.••..•.•.•.•. ll
AUCTION PRICES .••..•...•.•...•..• 11
FEATURED COLLECTOR: B. WHITEHILL.12
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY ............. 13
GAME BOOK •....................... 13
AGCA TTTT ................................................ 13
PATENT NUMBERS •............••.... 13
BACK ISSUES ...•..•..•.....•....•• 13
PARKER NIXES MONOPOLY INVITE ..... 14
IDEAL EXECUTIVE •................. 14
MONOPOLY: DARROW VS PARKER ..••..• 14
CHESS ANYONE? •..•....•...•..•... 14
MONOPOLY BIRTHDAY WISH ....••..... 15
WOLVERINE'S KIDS ...•......•...... 15
GAME PIECES ......•..••........ ·... 15
McLAUGHLIN ••....•..........•.•..• 15
INQUIRY: EARLY GAMEBOARDS ........ 16
INQUIRY: METAL GAME PIECES ....... 16
HAPPINESS & LIFE ..•......••...... 16
LETTERS ••••.•••.•••••....••• 16
NEWSLETTER CONTEST ••.••.••.. 16
CLASSIFIED: SALE •••••.•..•.. 17
CLASSIFIED: AUCTION ••••.•... 17
CLASSIFIED: INFORMATION ..•.•..... 17
NEXT ISSUE .•..••.....•.••.•.•..•• 17
CLASSIFIED: WANTED •........••.... 18
CLASSIFIED: SWAP ...•.••••........ 18
ADVERTISING RATES •...•.....•..... 18
DISPLAY ADS .••••••.•••...•....... 19
AGCA • 86 CONVENTION •.•.••...•.... 20
Milton Bradley's first office. 1860
(See COMPANY FEATURE. page 6)
AGCA "86 CONVENTION
SET FOR
MYSTIC ..
CT
OCT 31
THRU
NOV 2
SEE PG 20
FOR INFO
The American Eale Col lect ors Associa ti on is a non-profit organization dedi cated to the research and exchange of inforlati on an
the history of gales in th e Unit ed St ates. Du es for 1986 are
*20 whic h in ludes al l news letters published durin g th e year!
a lelbership irectory! and invitati ons to the natio nal conv ention an d to a I regional events.
1
A BRIEF
EDITORIAL
HOUSE
We have just passed our first
year of operation with great success!
We had a marvelous convention, and are
now set up for our second one.
We
published two information-packed newsletters and one "convention and yearend round-up" spec ia 1, and we now have
an even larger issue with a special
game insert. Our membership has grown
rapidly and includes a few game companies, some museums, a number of game
inventors, and an impressive group of
c ollectors of games and other playthings. We even have our first international member!
We thank all those
who have helped make this success possible, and we welcome all our new members to a truly fascinating group - an
organization with great beginnings,
and an even greater future '
AGCA
NEWSLETTER
The AGCA newsletter is published
two or three times a year.
Contributors are noted at the end of all app 1 i cab 1 ear tic 1 e s •
All ma t e ria 1 not
attributed is that of the editor. The
material herein is copyrighted by the
individual contributor as credited and
copyrighted 1986 by the Amer ic an Game
Collectors Association by permission
of the contributor. Permission to reprint any material here in must be obtained from the contributor.
This issue of the AGCA newsl et ter
was edited by Bruce Whitehill.
AMERICAN GAME COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION
Founded February, 1985
Founder:
Director:
Director:
Director:
Director:
President:
Vice President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Bruce Whitehill
John Mautner
Herb Siege l
Rally Dennis
Steve Olin
Bruce Whitehill
Debby Krim
David Greenwald
Ken La ss
For information about the AGCA. write
AGCA, P.O. Box 1179, Great Neck, NY
11023·
2
NETWORK
The AG CA would like to start
an "O pen House Network" of members
who would welcome visits from other
members.
This will
give members
the
opportunity
to see
other
members' collections. For the next
update of the AGCA Membership Directory, we would like to indicate
those members
who are
willing
to participate in this program.
Naturally, any member wishing to
visit the home of any other member
would contact that member directly
in advance to make appropriate arrangements (no "drop-ins", please);
all arrangements would be handled
p r i vat ely bet wee nth e g u'e s t a n d
host and not through the AGCA.
If you wish to be listed in
our next directory as a participant
in the Open House Network, send Joe
Angio1i110 (21 Kenwood Drive, Manchester, CT 06040) a note indicating whether your home is open for:
1) day/evening visits only, 2) day /
evening
visits
on
weekends
only, 3) overnight weekday visits,
4) overnight weekend visits, or 5)
weekend [two-night] visits.
TWAIN
GAME
As a speci a l feature, this issue of the AGCA newsletter includes
an insert for members only whi ch is
a reproduction of the memory-builder game patented in 1885 and copyrighted in 1891 by S. L. Clemen s.
This unusual piece, entitled "Mark
Twain's Memory Builder; A Game for
Acquir i ng and Retaining All Sorts
of Facts and Dates", has a "gameboard" on one side and instructions
on the other; originally, the two
sheets were mounted on a lightweight board
about 1/4" th ick;
there is nothing to indicate whether or not the game was packaged or
if it came with anything else.
The game reproduction is a
gift of Seymour Hacker of Hacker
Art Books in New York, an interesting specialty
book sto re which
stocks rare and out-of-pri nt books.
Mr. Hacker ha s a few copies left of
the original Twain game, priced at
$95 each.
Cont act him at 54 West
57th Street, New York, NY 10019
<Tel.: 212 PL 7-1450); and ment ion
the AGCA.
CON
V
E
N
T
ION
FREE
TRANSPORT
NEW YORK CITY
TO
CONVENTION SITE
AUCTION
BATHTUB
S
FEATURES
OF GAMES
The AGCA auction, one of the
highlights of the annual AGCA convention and a major fundraiser for
the organization, will feature an
unusual gamut of games this year
from mid-19th century card games to
turn-of-the-century board games, to
television games from the 50's, but
for the first time ANYWHERE, participants will be able to bid on
an entire bathtub full
of games
(and win not only the games, but
the bathtub as well!).
The tub is
an authentic post-Civil War officers' field tub, a lightweight metal
tub shaped somewhat 1 ike
a
1ightbu1b, which was used by generals when in the field. Some of the
games in the tub wi 11 be from the
same period as the tub, and others
wi 11 be as l ate as the mid-nineteen
hundreds.
The AGCA wi 11 provide free transportation from the New York area to
the 1986 Convention site at the Mystic
Hilton (Mystic, CT.), in a classic,
pristine condition, 1970 dark gold
Cadi 11 ac.
The caddy wi 11 1 eave New
York mid-afternoon on Friday, October
31, and wi 11 return to New York late
afternoon on Sunday, November 2nd.
Reservations will be taken on a
first come, first served basis (we can
take 5.5 passengers), but priority
wi 11 be given (unti 1 October 1st) to
people
flying in to
Kennedy and
LaGuardia airports. If there is space
available after all
"fly-ins" are accommodated, the "Caddy Convention Express" wi 11 honor requests from NYC
and Long Island.
The free ride is courtesy of Sue
Whitehill, gameless mother of the Big
Game Hunter. She has been responsible
since the start of the AGCA
for
screening and forwarding to the appropriate parties all correspondence received by the AGCA. If you would like
to reserve a seat, write Sue c/o the
AGCA, Game Box 1179, Great Neck, NY
11023. ("Fly-in" reservations will be
answered October 1).
EARLY
NEW
The consignor, "The Big Game
Hunter " , said he boughJ the tub in
preparation for one of his extended
hunts, but then had trouble in the
field locating t~e water to fill it
with.
His attempt at filling the
the tub with birdseed and turning
it into a "meditation tank" failed
when it attracted too many field
mice.
REGISTRATION
INCENTIVE
1987
Though there is a discount and
a raffle for members who register for
the 1986 AGCA convent i on by September
15th, chairman Joe Angio1i110
and
president Bruce Whitehill a r e making a
very special offer to the
first
person who registers within two weeks
of the date this newsletter is mailed
out: t hey wi 11 persona 11 y serve breakfast in bed on November 1st to this
first early registrant l
(Due to the
unusual nature of this offer, only
overnight guests are eligible).
CONVENTION
SITE
The site for our 1987 AGCA
convent ion wi 11 be chosen at this
year's convention, October 31
Proposed sites inNovember 2.
clude: our present site in Mystic,
Connecticut; the Norwich Inn in
Norwich, Connecticut; the Bernardsvi 11 e Inn in Bernardsvi 11 e,
New Jersey (near the antiquing
town of Chester)r the New Hope,
Pennsylvania area; or the Philadelphia or Boston regions. If you
have a preference, or if you would
like to suggest another location
for our 1987 convention, please
let us know by November
1st.
(Please note that over 65% of the
membership lives in the Northeast,
from Pennsylvania to Maine).
Mess r s. Angi"01i110 and Whitehill
encourage all members to register early, as it makes it much easier to handle the paperwork and plan the program.
:3
THE
DEVELOPMENT
OF
THE
US
TOY
INDUSTRY
Patti Becker
copyr i ght 1985
Prior to 1800, there was no such
thing as the tOY industry.
In fact,
the concept of "playing" was essentially non-existent. Typical American
children had a few simple toys. such
as RATTLES, BAllS, and TOPS.
The primary toymakers through the
mid-1800's were home craftsmen. making
products in limited quantities. The
first guild in America was the Tower
1830.
Toy Company, established in
Most luxury toys were imported from
Europe and sold by agents or jobbers
using wholesale catalogs.
The average life expectancy in
the early 1800's was short and children were expected to work in the
fields to help ensure survival. There
was little time to play; therefore the
.need for toys was small.
Furthermore
the Puritanical attitude of society
was that play need not be fun, it
should be religious or educational in
nature.
SUNDAY TOYS were among the
few tOYs that were condoned. They often taught Biblical history, such as
the case with NOAH'S ARK, and their
play was permitted only on Sundays,
when secular toys had to be put away.
During the second half of the
19th century, more factory-made toys
began to appear in quantity.
New retai lout 1 ets and mai 1 order catalogs
were started as a greater variety of
toys (still mostly imported) became available.
Amusement and fun gradually beca me acceptable virtues of play. and
playthings following the publication
of c hildren's boo ks. such as "Alice in
Wonderland" in 1865. set the precedent
for fun and nonsense; yet it wasn ' t
until after the turn of the century
that the value of learning through
p lay was recognized. Then. shortly
after the start of World War I, an embargo cut off foreign imports, including German tOYs. There was a su rge in
the development of tOYs in American
manufacturers to fill this void.
Following the war, German goods
were priced so low that no American
manufacturer could compete profitably
4-
and many were driven out of business. Japanese toys were sold at
low prices, also, for many years
after World War I, until their poor
quality was recognized, temporarily
forcing the Japanese out of the
market.
In 1922, Congress enacted a
70% tariff on imports to provide an
advantage for American manufacturers. Goods 'Made in America'
became highly desireab1e. By 1939,
95% of toys played with in America,
were manufactured in the country.
From 1920-1950, while the U.S. pOPulation grew 45%, the production of
toyS and games increased 2,000%
As consumers began to select
among the variety of products that
were available, competition
increased and prices naturally decreased. When the tariffs were reduced following World War II, foreign competition increased again
and U.S. manufacturers were forced
to become even more price competitive.
By the 1970's, product proliferation had reached the point where
most new products were an old idea
with a new twist, popularized with
an important licensed property or
through a heavy advertising campaign. HOllY HOBBIE and STAR WARS
merchandise are examples of licensed products. During the past
15 years, there has been a marked
increase in toy companies'
advertising budgets and in the use and
reliance on licensed properties to
increase sales. An estimated 50%
of all toys are now licensed.
In 1984, MAT TEL spent 15% of
its sales on advertising; HASBRO
spent 9%. The total
industry advertising expenditures are estimated to be $250 million. To help
defray the high cost of advertising
and create a greater impact at retai 1, many manufacturers are introducing new PRODUCT lINES, rather
than individual products.
The
recent
trend
of mergers
and acquisitions continues as manufacturers vie for increased market
share and greater
multi-national
distribution. The impact that this
has on col lectors is significant
when you stop to realize that even
companies'as large as CBS TOYS have
a price tag, and small companies may
be going the way of the dinosaur.
Today, there are an estimated
150,000 individual toyS on the market, over 3,000 of which are new.
And, although there are 700 American
toy companies, 230 companies accounted for 90% of the nine billion
dollar wholesale, or almost 15 billion dollar retail sales of the tOY
industry in 1984.
(Ms. Becker worked in the tOY industry for seven years: her thesis for her
MBA in marketing dealt with the marketing of American games and toys in the
19th and 20th centuries. Patti and her husband, Jonathan, are Charter Members of the AGCA and are especially interested in early McLoughlin games and
lithography.)
******
GAME
ART~
BOX
WRAP
PRICE
In order to manufacture games
efficiently, manufacturers utilized
the same artwork on different products they produced. For example,
the same artwork used for the cover
of COCK ROBIN is used for one of the
cards in McLoughlin's game of LOGOMACHY.
MARX
Louis Marx rea l ized that price
was important when he worked for
Ferdinand Strauss in his teens.
By
the time he established MARX TOYS,
he was ~ot interested in new tOYS or
the psychological needs of children
(Qs many others were at the time).
His philosophy was to make millions
of tOYs at the lowest
possible
prices, which he did.---Patti Becker
Manufacturers also uti lized the
same materials on different products. The same box cover wraps were
used prior to the lithographed label
being applied which differentiated
them.
Examples of early marblized
patterns being used as box wraps and
on the back of game boards are found
in McLoughl in's LEAP FROG and SPIDER
AND THE FLY games, both copyright
1870 .
McLoughlin's DISSECTED MAP
OF THE U.S. and the DUTCH SCROLL
PUZZLES are also wrapped in marblized paper. Another common box cover wrap which was used c. 1890 is
the blue striped pattern. All of
the following McLoughlin products
used this box wrap: FIRE ENGINE PICTURE PUZZLE, COCK ROBIN, STANDARD
AUTHORS, LOST HEIR, and PETER CODDLE.
MAJOR 19TH CENTURY
TOY OUTLETS
Many
renowned
toy
outlets
started during the second half of
the 19th century and are still
in
business today. They include: FAO
SCHWARTZ, which opened the first toy
specialty store in 1862: MONTGOMERY
WARD, which created the first mail
order catalog which included tOYs in
1877: JOHN WANAMAKERS, who opened
the first toy department within a
department store in 1880: MACY'S,
who in 1885 issued the first known
Christmas catalog to include a large
section on Toy Goods; and SEARS,
whose first mail order catalog with
a toy section appeared in 1890.
---Patti Becker
McLoughl in Brothers was no t the
only manufacturer to use the same
box ' cover wraps on different products, Parker Brothers did the same
thing. They used a b l a ck striped
bo x wrap for HOW SILAS POPPED THE
QUESTION and THE BLA CK CAT FORTUNE
TELLING GAME. It is therefore usefu l for collectors to note the bo x
wrap when dating products.--P Be ck er
MEMBERSHIP
INFORMATION
Patti Becker is the membership
chairman of the AGCA. For membership information or an AGCA membership application, write Patti at
83-07 Courtland Avenue #37, Stamford, CT 06902.
5
COMPANY
FEATURE
---
Milton Bradley was a man gifted
with true Yankee ingenuity. He was
born in Haverhill. Massachusetts. and
attended local schools. His parents
moved to Hartford in 1856. Unfortunately. the 19-year-old Milton Bradley
could not find opportunity there and
moved to Springfield to seek his fame
and fortune. He was successful in obtaining a position as a draftsman in
the old Wason Locomotive Car Works.
It was at this job that Milton
became interested in lithography. but
there was a scarcity of presses in the
country. with one exception in Boston.
Yet somehow. this press. or one like
it. turned up for sale in Providence.
Rhode Island.
and
Milton Bradley
bought it. staying long enough to
learn how to operate the complicated
machinery.
Milton returned to Springfield in
1860 and set up shop as a lithographer
in a small office at 247 Main Street.
overlooking Court Square.
His first opportunity came in the
guise of politics. A recently returned delegate from the Republican
Convention in Chicago suggested to him
that a huge market existed for the
photograph of the presidential nominee. Abraham Lincoln. He readilyagreed and produced hundreds of thousands of lithographs of Mr. Lincoln.
However. Abe shortly afterwards
grew his now-famous beard and the
large inventory of "beardless" portraits produced by Milton went unsold.
Rumbles of civil war. combined
with a deep recession. forced Milton
Bradley's press to a standstill. It
was during this time that an idea
blossomed into THE CHECKERED GAME OF
LIFE.
Milton
worked for
more than
twelve nours a day until he had completed several hundred packages of the
game. Then he set off for New York
City. He managed to sell the games
for 50 cents each to a variety of
stores within two days. In the first
year of business. Milton Bradley went
6
MILTON
BRADLEY
on to sell 45.000 of those games!
From then on. the game firm prospered and by 1868. Milton Bradley
became the leading manufacturer of
board games in the United States.
and
In 1911. Milton Bradley died
was succeeded by Mr. Tapley.
The company operated successfully until 1932. Then. during the
Depression years. it had to curtail
its operations. losing considerable
market share. By the end of 1941.
the company was on the brink of
bankruptcy.
On December 1. 1941. James
Shea. Sr. became president. Six
days later the United States declared war. The government started
on a strict program of rationing
which made it virtually impossible
for the company to continue manufacturing its products. Faced with
this situation. the company reorganized its activities. Its woodworking facilities made it possible
to be a subcontractor in manufacturing the gun stocks for the
carbine Thompson sub-machine gun
and Springfield rifle; the company
also succeeded in obtaining other
war contracts.
In addition. MB was given a
contract under a program worked out
with the Coca Cola Company to supply games kits for the soldiers in
the armed forces.
Despite the trying times. Milton Bradley Company became profitable in 1942 and started the era of
growth that continues to this day.
Under the leadership of James Shea
Jr •• the Milton Bradley Company acquired several domestic subsidiaries. the first being Playskool.
Inc. in 1968. The company soon expanded operations overseas. acquiring small toy companies in several
European countries.
In September. 1984 the Milton
Bradley Company was acquired by
Hasbro Industries. Inc. and formed
Hasbro Bradley. Inc.
---Jeanne Hopkins
STRONG
SOLICITS
MUSEUM
PAPERS
GAME
ART
Most collectors of
pre-WWII
games, collect games primarily for
the graphics. And most of the artists and illustrators that designed
box covers are unknown. But in addition
to
the cartoonists
who
brought their popular comic strip
art to the game medium, a lot of
other famous artists did illustrations for game box covers and cards.
The Strong Museum in Rochester,
New York, has sent out a "Call for
Papers" for a symposium on American
Play to be held at the museum late
in 1987. The museum will pay a $200
honorarium, travel costs, and a per
diem to those whose papers are selected for presentation.
The Strong Museum, which opened
in 1982, collects, preserves, and
exhibits
popular materials
with
which it interprets the social and
cultural development of the United
States (particularly the Northeast)
during the era of industrialization
( 1820-1940) .
The comic strip games are familiar to most of us - games such as
LI'L ABNER, GASOLINE ALLEY, TOONERVILLE TROLLEY, LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE,
THE NEBBS, BLONDIE, DICK TRACY, ELLA
CINDERS, NANCY 8. SLUGGO, and POPEYE,
to name a few. But the works of
other well-known illustrators can be
found on less common (usually older)
games. Peter Arno did the cover for
Parker Brothers' BONANZA: Rube Goldberg did cover and cards for FOOLISH
QUESTIONS (Wallie Door Co.); and McCutcheon did the same for the 1904
BIRO CENTER ETIQUETTE (Home Game
Co.). H.N. Ding drew the cover for
the 1921 QUIZ OF THE WIZ (H.j. Phillips Co.), and Maxfield Parrish designed a cadet/soldier for a Parker
Brothers game. Gluyas Williams did
the cover for QUICK WIT, another
Parker game.
Tony Sarg illustrated
many items (marionettes,
drawing
sets, etc.) for Selchow 8. Righter in
1940. Even Palmer Cox brought his
Brownies to the game board.
The symposium, scheduled for
November 6 8. 7, 1987, wi 11 explore
recreation and leisure in the U.S.
between 1820 and the First World
War; it is designed to draw together
"analytic and dramatic v iews of American play from a variety of discipl ines".
The deadline for the proposals
is October 17, 1986 . The museum is
looking for papers which "e xamine
within broad parameters topics in
the popular cultural and social history of indoor and outdoor domestic
pastimes in the United States, e xcluding competitive team
sports.
Especially wel c ome will be work that
analyzes the emergence of commercialized and marketed pastimes (such
as board games ... ), the relationship
between 'folk' and pre-industrial
play and codified nineteenth-century
amusements, th e moral context of recreation and lei s ure, and the relationship between play and changing
social definitions of what it was
to be an adult and to be a child in
America ..• "
If you have any games with illustrations by well - known artists
( other than the comic strip games
manufactured
primarily by Milton
Bradley in the '30s and '40s), then
please write us and let us know. If
your game has an unsigned cartoon
ill ustrat ion that you think might be
that of a noted artist, send us a
copy of the ill ustrat ion and we'll
try to find out if it is the work of
a known talent.
Send proposals by October 17th
to Katherine C. Grier, Historian,
The Strong Museum, One Manhattan
Square, Rochester, NY 14607.
Send to AGCA Game Art, P.O. Box
1179, Great Neck, NY 11023.
7
SPORTING
GAMES:
BASEBALL
Everybody likes playing games!
Onl y among the Austral ian Aborigines
and the Eskimos have no board games
been found. Though boxed games can
be discovered for almost any sport,
baseball and football have proven to
be the most popular games (in the
same way they have been the most
popular sports in the country).
&
FOOTBALL
Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Bob Feller, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson,
Carl Hubbel, and Walter Johnson.
By the end of the 19th century,
football
had become the foremost
sport
in
American universities.
Though avers i on of foot ba 11 was
played at Princeton as early as
1820, it was not unti 1 1876 that the
Intercollegiate Football Association
was organized; from then on, the
popularity of the sport spread rapidly, and game manufacturers quickly
saw opportunities for a new product
theme.
The game of Base Ball
(the title was originally two words) was
registered as a design by McLoughlin
Brothers in New York in 1856, and is
possibly
the
earliest
baseball
boardgame.
McLoughlin games were
the apex of the early boardgames,
and are still thought to be the most
attractive and well-designed games
ever produced.
The Parker Brothers game catalog of 1894 listed four football
games, one of which, the ALL AMERICAN GAME, had been endorsed by leading college coaches, and indeed was
used by them.
The GAME OF FOOTBALL
was released in 1895 by McLoughlin
Brothers and was typical of their
high-quality games, featuring bold
coloring and a very distinct and
stylized art work. Throughout the
years, most of the major companies
introduced various football games,
though there were fewer football
than baseball games that were endorsed or 1 i censed by act ua 1 p 1ayers.
One of the most desired baseba 11 games is t he BIG SIX game,
named after the New York Giants'
pitching immortal, Christy Mathewson. This 1922 game is the largest
sports box game ever produced. Other games include BAMBINO, named after Babe Ruth, but without the photo
or endorsement on the game; it is
played with a hand-held wooden bat
that is used to hit a ball over a
cardboard wall that sits upright,
supported by the game box. Metal
games produced by Pressman in the
'60s used a small spring-action bat
to hit a rolled marble; the game
came in a generic version and, in
different years, carried the names
of Seaver, Yaz, and Marris. Other
baseball greats who have had boardgames designed around them include
---Tom Leonard
(Tom is an AGCA member and full-time
antique dealer in Texas, specializing in all sports games.)
TH E POCKET BASE -BALL GAME
90oi- RASE BALL TOP-A regular game of baseball can be played with this top.
Every play known in bn.~ cball ca n be made. NumlM'r of rlayt" rs i~ unlimited.
Price 75c each or three [or $1.95 post pa id
).""O nl·: I GS MO S F. \ ' Oil S T A MI' !'O , " u ' r
THE OCCULT COMPANY
B
ACCE I· ... a-:O ;
BOX 59
~ I-: SII
I' '' !'O'I' UFF U : I :
'n" c ,'
4IUUt:"
WHITESTONE, NEW YORK
THE
HIGH
PRICE
Most war game collectors exclude mass market "war games" like
RISK, CONFLICT, CAMELOT, and similar
boardgames from their list of true
war games. To a war games collector, a war game must have imbalanced
forces, terrain that affects different pieces in different ways, and
re-creates a historical event.
With so few copies produced,
time quickly takes its toll. There
are two known copies of the original
TACTICS and rumors of a third. Another poor-condition copy known to
to exist was destroyed in a flood.
The first American war game, by
this definition, was published in
1882 by D. Appleton & Co. of New
York.
The game is STRATEGOS by
Charles A. L. Totten. The game is a
two volume set of rules with a description of how to make the pieces.
Until 1958, when Avalon Hill
released GETTYSBURG, and a barrage of
titles soon after, war games were
rarely published and rarely played.
In 1895, Parker Brothers published
WATERLOO,
the earliest mass market
war game I've seen. Cavalry and infantry have different capabilities.
The board represents the terrain between Paris and Brussels.
Other
mass market games about war from the
era appear to be path or card games,
or versions of shooting missiles at
stand-up cardboard figures.
In for mation and examples of war games in
the years that follo w is sketchy and
not well
documented. In 1915 THE
GREAT WAR
GAME
was
published.
1947 brought INVASION, published as
a one-game company by a private individual; and 1951 - 52 brought TIN
SOLDIER by Rand.
Handsome and instructive, S1.2 5·
"Yankee Doodle."
WAR
The reasons why American war
games are valuable to collectors
vary but ultimately trace to supply
and demand and when Avalon Hi 11 introduced war games to the market.
The maximum print run of any war
game by a medium size game company
like Avalon Hill, TSR, etc.
is
much smaller than the minimum print
run of any mass market game. TACTICS sold 2,000 copies between 1953
and 1958. Even the most popular
Avalon Hill war game, SQUAD LEADER,
may not have sold 200,000 copies. If
a mass market game sells less than
100,000 copies in a year, it is considered a flop,
and often removed
from print.
Baseball and other sports games
fetch record prices (as witnessed by
the sale at auction of an 1896 Egerton R. Wi 11 iams baseball game for
$1,250), but American war games come
in a close second. At the 1983 Origins convention aut ion, TACTICS, the
first Avalon Hill game, published in
1953-54 went for $1200!
.. Napoleon."
OF
Avalon Hill games caught on in
the 1960s, partly as a result of the
country's memories of World War II,
partly because they could be played
by mail, and partly because Avalon
Hill gamers, through their magazine,
the "General", felt like they belonged to a unique club.
So if you find that 1954 game
of TACTICS in the attic, don't throw
it in the trash. Although it is only 32 years old,
its value far exceeds that of many of the antique
games from 100 years ago. That's
the high price of war l
copyright 1986
---Joseph Angiolillo
(Joe, a Charter Member of the AGCA,
is a professional game designer and
a historian on
pre-1900
Parker
Bros. games and American war games.)
Play" Waterloo,"
The popular new board Game. Price $1.25
(or, express prepaid from Publishers,
A new board game,
$ \. 50).
Our illustrated catalogue describing
S1.00 .
" Wonderland" and "Innocence Abroad," "Chivalry," "Penny
"Uncle Sam's Farm." Post,"" Kringle,"" Tiddledy Winks," and
,
Pretty card games in
colors for little ones, 100 other games, on receipt of .2C. stamp.
by ma il, on receipt
of .3 5 cents each .
....iiiliiiiii_ _ PARKER
All games bearing OlU'llame Play " -I'll.
BROTHERS,
9
Salem, Mass., U. S. A.
WHO~S
WHAT
Besides having some of the most
prominant game collectors in the
country in its ranks.
the AGCA
boasts quite a number of accomplished and notable members. Just over
one year old. the AGCA now has among
its membership
4 ' game companies
(Milton Bradley. Pressman Toy Corp.,
Mayfair Games, and the U.S. Playing
Card Co.), 2 game museums (the Game
Preserve and the Museum and Archive
of games), 2 toy/doll museums (Washington 0011 s' House 8. Toy Museum and
the Scripps Wilkinson Collection of
Toys), 3 auction houses (Ted Hake'S,
New England Auction Gallery, 8. Lloyd
Ralston's),
3
publishers/editors
(Dale Kelley: "Antique Toy World",
Ralph 8. Terry Kovel: Kovel's Price
Guides, and Harry Rinker: Warman's
Price Guides), 5 game inventors (Joe
Angiolillo, Darwin Bromley, David
Greenwald, Sid Sackson, and Bruce
Whitehill), 3 museum exhibit curators (Blair Whitton, David Greenwald, and Bruce Whitehill), numerous
authors (including Patti Becker on
the history of the U.S. Toy Industry, Richard Bueschel on slot machines, pinball, 8. arcade machines,
Lee Dennis on the history of American games, Ellen Liman on collecting, Sid Sackson on games in his
"Gamut of Games" book, Jerry Slocum
on mechanical
puzzles, and Bruce
Whitehi lIon the history of American
games), 1 national
Jlgsaw puzzle
organization, plus a number of game
store owners, antique-shop owners,
appraisers, and auctioneers. If you
would like to learn more about these
and other illustrious AGCA members,
look through the new AGCA Membership Directory.
AGCA
The AGCA has received a lot of
good national publicity lately, much
of it due to information that has
appeared in print about The Game
Preserve and The Big Game Hunter.
The AGCA has been touted in "Antique
Toy World" and "Collectors'Showcase" (thanks to Richard Friz), and
in a Chicago article by Russ Fornwalt.
The organization has been
mentioned in "Esquire" magazine (May
'86), "Women's World" (July '86),
"The General", "Minneapolis Star and
Tribune", "Omaha Herald", and in a
nationally syndicated column byantiques writer Lita Solis-Cohen. Information about the group has also
appeared on national TV (Joe Franklin Show) and radio (WNYC).
If you find any information about the AGCA, please send a copy to
Debby Krim, 34 Millard Ave., Lynn,
MA 01904. If you hear about us ( radio, TV, et c .), then please let Debby know by sending her a card.
LIMAN 8.. DENNIS
FEATURED
Ellen Liman and her extraordinar y game collection were featured in
a "New York " magazine article March
31st; the article had a 1 1/2 page
color phot ograph of Ellen's colle c t ion I
Lee Dennis'
one-of-a-kind museum, The Game Preserve, was written
up in Michael Schuman's "New England's Special Places: A Day tr i pper's Gu i de " . Lee was intervie wed
on te l e v i s io n by Phyllis Ford of
Cha nne l 2 1 in Concord, New Hampshire.
GALLERY AUCTIONS
FOLK ART
BOARDS
Antique wooden gameboards, collected primarily as folk art, have
been available at almost every auction of the Caropreso Gallery, 136
High St., Lee, MA 01238. The gameboards, many from the mid 1800s, are
almost always PARCHISI, CHECKERS,
and BACKGAMMON. They have been sold
for bids ranging from $100 to $900
(for an inlaid, double-sided board),
but the average has been $200. Contact Caropreso Gallery for notices.
PR
ZOETROPE VS
WHIRLIGIG
We would be interested in comparing Milton Bradley's ZOETROPE OR
WHEEL OF LIFE of the 1860s with McLoughlin's WHIRLIGIG OF LIFE from
1886. Illustrations show them to be
similar. If you have one of these
"moving picture"
machines, or if
you know of museums which feature
these machines, please write AGCA
Zoetrope, P.O. Box 1179. Great Neck.
NY 11023.
10
ATW FEATURES
MONTHLY GAME PIECE
DEGEN & ESTES
UPDATE #2
"Antique Toy World" magazine.
published and edited by AGCA member
Dale Kelley. began a monthly feature
i n January on game collecting and on
the history of games in America.
The series of articles is under the
bi-line "The Game Piece" and features photographs and advertisements
of early games and game companies.
Further to the information published in two previous issues about
the Degen. Estes & Company of Boston. AGCA member Blair Whitton informs us that an envelope containing
one of the few paper dolls that the
company publ ished ("Jennie June")
had a list of the following games
and puzzles: PATRIOT HEROES. CHECKERED GAME OF LIFE.
WHAT IS IT? (OR
THE WAY TO MAKE MONEY).
MODERN HIEROGLYPHICS. CHINESE PUZZLE. SANTA
CLAUS PUZZLE. CARD DOMINOES (for the
pocket knapsa ck). and
A SOLDIER. A
SAILOR. A TINKER. A TAILOR.
Here is a list of the articles
that have appeared in ATW since January:
January
"The Game Piece" Ian overvie~ to
game coll ecting; the founding of the A6CA)
' Games on Parade - Up coling Exhibits"
Febr'uary
'Sames: A Brief &Basic History "
March
Apr i I
"Collecting Old 6a~es - Frot Purchase to Disp lay"
May
"The Money 5ale - or a Quest ion of Values"
"B its &Piec es - Fro. the 6a~e-O-Phile "
June
IMiscellaneous tidbits )
July
"A Tribute to Selchow &Righter "
"Greal Beginnings, Part I - McLoughlin Bros."
August
"Sr eal Begi nnings, Pa(1 II - Millon Brad ley
September
& Parkn Bros.
Scheduled for October is a special
feature on the AGCA convention.
GOING~
This means the AGCA now has
three auction houses represented.
Each one deals in collectibles. including toys and games. The other
tw o are Hake's Americana & Collectible s and Lloyd Ralston Toys (see
the Directory for addresses). We're
happy to have them aboard.
MEMBER SHIP?
Imagine the surprise when AGCA
founder and president B. Whitehill.
who 1 ives in the New York metropolitan area. receiv e d an application
from B. Whitehill. who l i ves in th e
New York metropolit an area.
New
member B. (for Brian) Whitehi 11. who
works in the design department at
WNET television. assures us that he
is in no way related to B.
(for
Bruce) Whitehill, who works as a
game
consultant
and writes the
monthly feature on games for "Antique Toy World". In any case. B.
Whitehi 11 would 1 ike to take this
opportunity to welc ome B. Whitehill.
GONE
Buying just games was apparently not enough for Debby and Marty
Krim of Lynn. Mass. So these two
game enthusiasts (founding members
of the AGCA) recently decided to buy
an auction house!
They are now
proud owners ~f the New England
Auction Gallery. and we fellow AGCA
members share in their good fortune
because it provides us with another
source for purchasing old games.
There are a limited number of
back issues available
(for 1986
only) for $3.00 per issue to AGCA
members; priority given to members
who order all eight
(January - August) issues. Twelve-month subscriptions are $20. Write Dale at "Antique Toy World". 3941 Belle Plai ne.
Chicago. IL 60618.
DUAL
GOING~
AUCTION
PRICES
The following games were sold
at a recent auction for the prices
indicated:
CHESTER GUMP/CITY OF GOLD
$ 85
COMMERCIAL TRAVELER. McL 90s
138
CRAZY TRAVELER. PB 20s
61
DOWN THE PIKE. MB 1904
60
GOLF. Clark 90s
75
HOWDY DOODY'S TV GAME. MB
39
MARBLE MUGGINS, Amer. Toy. 30s
55
OUTER LIMITS. MB 60s
66
STAGE. C.M. Clark, 1904
60
WYHOO. MB. 1906
55
Auction prices do NOT necessarily indicate current larke! value for a game. The itel goes to the HIGHEST bidder.
1 1
FEATURED COLLECTOR
BRUCE
WHITEHILL
There are not as many people
who know of Bruce Whitehill as there
are who know of THE BIG GAME HUNTER,
but the two are one and the same,
and their, or should I say his, list
of accomplishments is impressive.
Bruce is the founder of the AGCA.
He is one of the foremost game historians in the country, and one of
America's major exhibitors of old
games. As of this writing, he has
exhibits at the Baseball Hall of
Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and
the Children's Museum of Manhattan
(along with AGCA members Ellen Liman
and Sid Sackson). His previous exhibits have included the Connecticut
Va lIe y His tor i cal Mus e u m (Ma s s . ) ,
the Museum of Cartoon Art (N.Y.) and
the Art Mobile (Pa.), among others.
Bruce is a professional game
designer, with RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT
OR NOT, CENTIPEDE, and WHEEL OF
FORTUNE (to name a few) to his credit. He also produced a national
trivia game for the American Hotel &
Motel Association.
Having worked
for Milton Bradley Co. and Pressman
Toy Co., Bruce is now an independent
designer and a consultant within the
Toy & Game Industry.
Besides lecturing and giving
slide presentations on early games,
Bruce is a prolific writer on the
subject. In addition to editing the
AGCA newsletter, he writes a monthly
feature for "Antique Toy World" magazine, and he has just completed a
special focus article on game collecting and game prices for the "Antique Trader" magazine, which will
be a cover feature later this year.
Bruce is in the process of writing a
book (with AGCA members Fr ank Simon
and George Sanborn) on the history
of American games.
The Big Game Hunter has received a lot of exposure In the media recently (which has brought many
new members into the AGCA). He has
been featured on the Joe Franklin
Show (national TV), and was the subject of a story on Charles Kurault's
"Dateline America" (national radio).
Bruce was the guest on a one-hour
interview
program on WNYC radio
(public radio) and was interviewed
by phone for CKO Radio in Canada.
He has been featured, mentioned, or
quoted in
"Esquire"
(May '86),
"Grit" magazine,
"Woman's World"
(July '86), and a number of syndicated columns. And, though his collection is far from the largest in
the country (although it may be the
most diversified large collection),
he was nevertheless the subject of
an international
"Ripley's Believe
It Or Not!" cartoon last March.
Though his games date from 1845
to 1985, Bruce counts only the 700+
games before 1960 as part of his
collection. ''It seems the quality
of games changed with the invention
of the zip code in 1962", he muses.
His favorite period is the 1930s ("I
love all the different implements.")
and he has been known to trade off a
good McLoughlin for an unusual game
or a game from an odd company from
the 1920s through the 1940s. "I'm
as interested in what's IN the box
as in what's ON it", he says, "and I
look for games that tell us something about the social climate of
the times".
Bruce, who started as a collector/historian and then a professional game designer, has now branched
out into something called "The Mystery Game", which is a personal ized
mystery 'whodunit'. Bruce's "Murder
on Broadway" plays weekly at Sardi's
Restaurant in New York and he has
just completed a major singles event
called "Dating is Murder!".
When I asked Bruce how I should
conclude this article, he just put
up his arms, flashed a wry smile and
said, "Life is just a game".
---Joe Angiolill0
12
AGCA
TTTT
MEMBERSHIP
DIRECTORY
AVAILABLE
Roughly
translated,
that's
"AGCA Tees", our way of announcing
that AGCA tee-shirts are now available. All shirts say "AGCA" and
"GAMES" with the "G" common to both
words. The cost for each shirt is
$8.00,
of which the AGCA receives
$1.00 (for long sleeve) or $2.00
(for short sleeve).
The AGCA Membership Directory
is now avai 1ab1e to all members
f r ee-of-charge. The Directory contains information supplied to the
AG CA on the membership appl ic ation
forms. This information includes:
c ollector's name; address; phone;
size, scope, and type of co l lection;
special interests and personal
information. The Directory was compiled a few months ago, so newer
members may not be listed. There
wi 11 be add i tiona 1 updat e sheet s for
inclusion in the directory available
at no charge at the convention or at
year end. Some members have re quested that they be omitted from
the listings, so the Directory is
NOT a full membership roster.
Short sleeve shirts can be any
color, and long sleeve can be white,
light blue, yellow, navy, red, or
black. The lettering (3/4") comes
in white, royal, gold, kelly green,
red, and black. Sizes are SM (3436), MED (38-40), L (42-44), and XL
(46-48).
When order i ng, spec i fy "AGCA
horizontal" or "AGCA vertical", long
or short sleeve, size, shirt color,
and lettering color.
Send $8.00
directly to "The Works", 17 Claremont Road, Bernardsville, NJ 07924.
If you have not re c eived a Membership Directory with this issue or
as part of a previous mailing, write
Joe Angio1i110, 21 Kenwood Drive,
Man c hester, CT 06040.
GAME BOOK
AVAILABLE
Lee Denn i s' book, Warman's " Antique American Games", is now avai l able through the AGCA, a s well as
from Lee herse l f. Th e book, which
has more than 600 detai le d photographs of games,
including e i gh t
ful l- color pages, lists more than
100 game manufacturers, and has inf ormation on buying, selling, displa y ing,
restoring, and
storing
gam e s. Lee, an AGCA founding member, and the "Featured Collector" i n
is a
our summer. 1985 newsletter,
prolifi c writer and major historian
on American games.
PATENT
NUMBERS
A list of patent numbers from
1836 to 1959 is available for $2.00
from the AGCA. The list makes it
possib l e to date American games (and
oth e r items) that show a patent number instead of a date. Also. the
list. prepared especially for the
AGCA. indicates key dates in American game history. For a copy, send
$2.00 to Ken Lass, 1107 Monroe St.,
Endicott , NY 13760.
The
book is available
fo r
$1 2 .50 plus $2.00 shipping and handling, for AGCA members.
If you
write d i rectly to Lee at 110 Spri ng
Road, Peterborough, NH 0 3458, she
wil l se nd you an autograph e d cop y of
t he boo k , and she wi 11 donat e $1.00
to the AGCA. If you order from Ken
Lass at 1107 Monroe St., Endicott,
NY 13760, $3.00 will go to the AGCA
treasury but you will NOT get an
autographed copy.
BACK
ISSUES
Volume 1. Numbers 1 & 2. of the
AGCA news l etter are now available.
The cost is $5.00 per issue for AGCA
members, $10.00 for non-members.
Send your request to Ken Lass,
1107 Monroe St •• Endicott, NY 13760.
13
MONOPOLY:
DARROW VS.
PARKER
PARKER
MONOPOLY
Charles B. Darrow copyrighted
his game of MONOPOLY in 1933, and
then sold it to Parker Brothers in
1935. The game has changed very
little since the first Darrow version (it is said that that version
was based on the 1904 LANDLORD'S
GAME), but here are some of the
differences between the current
MONOPOLY and Darrow's 1934 edition.
NIXES
INVITE
Michael Fiore
and Stephanie
Laggini met two years ago while
playing
MONOPOLY at a
friend's
house. They were married, June 28,
1986. During the two-year period
their correspondence often centered
around the MONOPOLY theme.
When
they decided to get married, Michael
designed a wedding invitation using
the familiar MONOPOLY character. He
then wrote Parker Brothers, sending
them a copy of his design, explaining how it would be used on a maximum of 100 private wedding invitati ons.
One major difference is that
the Darrow MONOPOLY did not have any
tokens (players were asked to use a
"Key, Ring, etc."). The Darrow game
had no property values written on
the board, no picture of a ring on
the Luxury Tax space, and no little
man drawing on the Community Chest
cards. Jail was marked "Jail" and
not "In Jail", and if you landed on
Income Tax, you had no choice but to
pay 10% (now it's pay 10% or $200).
Finally, the Darrow board does not
say to "Co 11 ect $200" as you pass
Go, though it is mentioned in the
rules.
It seems we have Parker
Brothers to thank for the phrase
from the game's "Go to Jail" cards:
" Do not pass go. Do not collect
$200", now a part of our language.
The response from the 1 egal department at Parker Brothers is reprinted, in part, here.
" ••• Regretfully, Parker Brothers wi 11 not grant permission for
any such request involving the public display of a modified version of
the MONOPOLY game board.
Parker
Brothers is concerned that the game
equipment by individuals not obviously identified with Parker Brothers, is likely to diminish the public's recognition of the distinctive
game equipment and dilute its association with Parker Brothers ... "
Anyone wishing to send goodluck wishes (or a MONOPOLY giftette)
to the newlyweds can do so by writing Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Stephanie
Fiore, 14 Richard Drive, Waldwick,
NJ 07463.
0
11
0
c:>
~
A copy of Darrow's 1934 rules
for MONOPOLY is available free to
AGCA members. Drop Joe Angiolillo,
a card and you will receive an insert in the next copy of the AGCA
newsletter.
(Write Joe at 21 Kenwood Drive, Manchester, CT 06040).
t/
o
I
.
rl
THE IDEAL
EXECUTIVE
"As an executive, you have to
travel, entertain, dress well, give
attractive gifts. At the same time
you want to own a house, a car, and
have a comfortable bank account."
--THE DINER'S CLUB GAME, Ideal, 1961
Xi chael Fim
14-
CHESS, ANYONE?
Irene Castle, the famed dancer and musical comedy star of the World War I era,
once had a beau who loved to play chess
with her. He was so enamored of her and
the game that he went to Cartier and ordered a costly chessboard of gold and
ebony with the initials I.C. in the center
of a wreath. By the time Cartier finished
this masterwork, the romance had ended.
When the board was delivered to the gentleman, he found himself with a very expensive item bearing the initials I.C. in
the center. What to do? He simply called
all his friends and begged for an introduction to the beautiful stage star, Ina
Claire.
GAME
PIECES
Boake Who?:
STAR REPORTER, one of the ~ost asked-for ga~es by the no n-collecting public (I guess people reteaber the gale frol childhood), was originally produced by Parker Brothers in the 1930s
as SOAKE CARTER, STAR REPORTER. Carter ." born in 18q8 and
raised in England, me to the U.S. in 1920. He started as a
reporter for the Philadelphia Dail y Ne~s, and eventuall y becale assistant cit, editor . He began radio broadcasting in
1930 and becate nation all, renowned for his coverage of the
LindberQ case and trial . He was ·a reQu lar eve ning ne~s [ 01lentato~ frol 1933 to 1938. Boake Ca~ter died in !944, and
STAR REPORTER (with Carter's nale dropped) ~as stil l produced
in 1960.
A MONOPOLY
-?
BIRH-lOAY
WIS~ES
Swirling Date:
The "swirl" in the Parker Bros. logo was added in 1963.
Fair Quit:
The gale that won the Grand Prize at the St. Louis World's
Fair in 1904 was QUIT .
T A JI. (
GO
~
A
Mt MO R.'f
RA II.. A O "O
CMA .... C(
WAPP't'
t .. ..
,00 _ ' ) _"
?
' - . . START
lUC.I\'f
1ft
P l A' ,
~Er1[
1
1.
1
'1.
'1.
'1.
4000 Years a-GO:
existance. According to legend, it originated in China lore
than 4000 ,ears ago and was in troduced into Japan about 1,200
,ea~s ago.
~
MONOPOLY
1.
1.
C.AY
AV [ NU [
The gale of GO is probabl y (ooe of) the oldest boardgales in
1.
'1
Greek Jump:
HALMA, a popular strategy game published by E.I. Horslan in
1888, ~ ea ns "jump" in Greek.
/I MY
Grand Tour:
TOURING, the popu lar and falous autolobi le car d game (pr edeces sor to MILLE BOURNES), fi~st appeared in 1925, pub lished
by Walli e Door Co. PB late r d~ove out lan y versio ns.
BIRH4 DAY
WIS~ES
Seamon Bly:
Nellie Bl" frol the classic ~cLoughlin game of the sale
nale, was the pseudon,. of Elizabeth Cochrane Sealon, bo~n in
1867 , who, as an 18-,ear-old, had the courage to pioneer in
newspaper reporting first in Pittsburg and then in New York.
She died in 1922.
WOLVERINE~S
Noisy Plants & Birds:
Traditionall" there is no such thing as "a quiet gale of ~AH
JONG". ·~ah· leans flax or help plant , and refers to the
sound of the plant leaves clicking in the wind. "Jong" leans
sparrow and supposedl, recalls chattering of the birds. The
sounds refer to the clicking of the ~AH JONG tiles during
pIa,.
---Joh n Mautner
KIDS
Wolverine Toy Company, which
began in 1903 as Wolverine Supply &
Manufacturing Co., and which was
featured in our "Company Profile" in
Vol. 1, No.2 of the AGCA newsletter, has now changed its name to
"Today's Kids".
15
McLAUGHLIN
In a clear effort not to miss
out on any trade, the McLoughlins
also listed themselves in NY city
directories
under the
alternate
spell ing "McLaughl in".
- --David Greenwald
INQUIRY:
METAL GAMEPIECES
INQUIRY:
EARLY BOARDGAMES
The first American boardgame
was published in 1843 (Ives' MANSION
OF HAPPINESS);
Milton
Bradley's
CHECKERED GAME OF LIFE was produced
in 1860; and Selchow & Righter's
PARCHEESI was patented in
1874.
George Parker's first game (BANKING)
wasn't re I eased unt i I 1883, and by
that time McLoughlin Brothers were
beginning to produce a large number
of board games.
We wou l d l i ke to determine how
man y bo ar dgam e s wer e pr odu ce d in
t his cou ntr y prio r t o 1880 . The r e
a re a numbe r of ea r ly McLoughl i n
book ,
games l i sted in Le e Dennis'
a nd we kno w o f an 1872 Milt on Bradley ga me c al l ed BAMB OO ZLE , and a n
1851 American GAME OF GOOSE, a pape r
" boa r d "g a me by Bea ch , a Ne w York
c ompan y .
I f you own , or know of , an y
other Amer i can boardga mes published /
manu f a c t ur ed prio r t o 1880, p le ase
let us know.
HAPPINESS
8.
LIFE
Ives' MANSION OF HAPPINESS and
Bradley's CHECKERED GAME OF LIFE appear to have been published in many
different versions or edit i ons (and,
in fact,
by different companies:
i.e. Parker Brothers 1894 MANSION OF
HAPPINESS). We wou l d like to compile a listing of the different versions of these two games. If you
own one, please send information to
Joe Angiolil1o, 21 Kenwood Or., Manchester, CT 06040.
Also, members who own either of
these two games and wi I I be attending our October 31 convention, are
asked to bring their copy with them
so we c an make some v isual comparisons.
No: e that trim m t. u Y!rsions of the 1843 1m' MNSIONOF
HAPPtiESS , on e lJ ith b e i g~ S'iuaj'eS and one iJith gr een S ~1 u a r· es.
If yo u have t ittler' (or" boUd , please spe cify ;~ hi c h ,
LETTERS
At an antique show I saw two
ca t s , a P pro x i ma tel y 12 " t a I 1, on
wooden bases, whi c h the dea l er said
went to a McLoughlin game. They
were not marked, and looked to be
pa r t of a "knoc k-dow n " set. Does
an yone know of a McLough l i n gam e
I i ke this ?
---Lois Milius (Clarksville, Iowa )
16
Ed Br uen i ng of Ann Arbor, Mich i ga n , is gathering research about
Do wst Manufactu r ing Company, predec essors to the Strombecker Corporation. Dowst started in the 1890s as
a producer of diecast parts, and later, especial l y in the '20s and
'3 0 s, they made cast game pieces for
c ompanies like Parker Brothers and
Selcho w & Righter.
Can you identify the pieces below? ( I f so, pIe a s e t ell us t he
and
approximat e
game,
c ompany,
Presumably, the limousine
yea r . )
ca r ries Lindy, and the swimmer is
supposed to be
Gertrude Ederle,
first woman to swim the Engl ish
Channel. Also,
the donkey with the
r ide r is labeled "Bob" (and another
sa id "Ne d" ).
~
. ' .
A
-r.l-
~
titt'A
NEWSLETTER
CONTEST
CONTINUED
We have received a number of
responses to our "Name The Newsletter" contest, but we will co n tinue
the contest until the October convention t o give new members the opportunity to participate (and old
members a chance
to rac k their
br a i ns a little harder). Some e ntr i es were not suitable because the
name i s used elsewhere, or because
the name doesn't fit the purpose or
i mage of t he AGCA.
Accep table e ntries so far are:
Game & Able,Game For Games,Play
It A Game ,
Future Pastimes,
Your
Play, Game Pastimes, GameNews, and
Th e Gameboard.
If you have a name for the AG CA
newslette r
(or if you think it
sho u ld be cal led "The AGCA Newslett er ") , t he n p I ease send you r e n t r y
in ASAP . You may sugg e st as ma ny
names as you like.
GAMES
GAMES
FOR
CLASSIFIED
BOOKS
SALE
Catalog available of
over 1,000
games, mostly post WWII, plus gaming
magazines. Send $1.00 & a SASE for
catalog.
H.M. Lev" Box 197 , East ~ea d ow, NY 11554
McLoughlin GAME OF BASE-BALL, 1886,
(VG/complete - see Warman's pg. 105)
$550: LOUISA (MB), AUTO RACE (Gotham
Steen,
SCOOP (PB '54),
SARATOGA
(PB), DIG, KNAPP ELEC. Q., CALLING
ALL CARS, ANNIE OAKLEY, CINDERELLA
(MB), WINNIE THE POOH, PERRY MASON
GULLIVER'S TRAVELS (MB '36), ADVENTURELAND, CAMELOT, EASY MONEY (2nd
ed),
NELLY BLY, AMBUSCADE/BOUNCE/
CONSTELLATION, JAN MURRAY, PIGSKIN,
BLITZKRIEG, AVILUDE (MeL) .
boards only:
BING CROSBY DERBY,
STOCKADE (S&R),
FLIVVER (MB '205),
HIGHWAY PATROL (PB '36), GRAND AUTO
RACE, TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT (Mc L, 3fold ) .
Bi g 6a~ e Hunter, 13 Knollcr es t, Bedli ost er, NJ 07921
FOR
SALE
R.C. Bell, "The Boardgame Book", 160
pgs & play pieces sheet, $20;
Sid
Sackson's "Gamut of Game's", '69, $9:
"Table Games", '76, $6;
"Party
"Games " , '30, $8:
"Kellogs Book of
Games " , #1 (w/SAMBO), $:20: #4, $17:
"Playthings" mag., '49-'51, $35 ea.
Br"uc e W
hitehill, 13 Knollcr es t, Bedsioste r", NJ 07921
AUCTION
Original Darrow 1933 MONOPOLY, no
box, board has litho missing at midseam, values inked on board & cards,
has 1934 instructions printed on
build-up, all cards, money, good
condition. Minimum bid $300.
Auction ends September 23, 1986 at midnight; calls accepted 8PM-midnight:
(201) 234-0246. Ma i I bid s to:
Bruc e W
hitehil l, 13 Koo ll crest, Bedlio ster , NJ 07921
S ER V' NG U EA LE R ';:) AN D C OLL E C r O R 'S
LOC AT I N G HAR D
TO
F" I N O
roy s
THE
M~II...,II
TOY LOCATORS
32
""IDMP.,@.@~
MA I N
STREE T
HAMB u R G . NEW YO R I<
1 4 075
A NTIQU E TOY 5
GAMES BOUGHT & SOLD
RAY
17' 6 1 627 · 5 8 ~ O
299 Madison Avenue
Suite 1200
New York , NY 10017
(2 12) 949-101]
NEXT
ISSUE
The next issue of the AGCA
newsletter will feature an article
by AGCA member Dr. Wayne Saunders on
"Strategy Games". The "Company Feature" wi 11 either be Parker Brothers
or Transogram (and whichever it is
not will be featured the issue after
next). And th~ featured collector
will be the owner of one of the
largest collections in the country
(if not THE largest), Herb Siegel.
There will also be articles on gameboard patents, yo-yo history, table
tennis, and playing cards.
INFORMATION
WANTED
Board games of a psychological natture.
Dr . B. L. Eufel ia, 2223 F-I Davonpor t Dr., Lexington, KY 40504
Working on articles for the newsletter. Information wanted on all
W. & S. B. Ives games. Photocopies
of rules, catalogs, clippings, game
parts with dates or patent numbers
are all welcome. Information wanted
on all Geo. S. Parker & Co. games,
especially photocopies of rules and
catalogs. Postage & copy cost paid.
Joe Angio lill o, 21 Kenvood Drive, "anchestef, CT 06040
Information wanted on All-Fair (Alderman Fairchild) Co., Churchville &
Rochester, New York.
Joho Mautner, 38 To~nsend, W. Boylston, MA 01583
17
GAMES
GAMES
CLASSIFIED
WANTED
GAMES
WANTED
Our games are incomplete! We need
odd playing pieces, spinners, dice
cups" men, etc.
John D. Spear, Box 440, "anheil, PA 17545
Avalon Hill, SPI, GDW, SOC, and gaming magazines wanted; also TV and
character games.
H.". Levy, Bo x 197-A6C, Eas t ~eadow, NY 11554
Jigsaw puzzles wanted, mostly wooden
puzzles and especially interesting
diecut puzzles.
Anne Wi II im, (207) 783-8732 (evenings),
49 Brooks Ave., Lewiston, "E 04240
Zimmer's BASEBALL game, 1880s - wi 11
pay $2,500 - excellent to mint condo
Baseball Memorabilia.
Bill Mastr'o, (312) 361-2117,
25 Brook la., Palos Park , IL 60464
Geo. S. Parker & Co. games wanted:
BANKING, BAKER'S DOZEN, FAMOUS MEN,
DICKEN'S GAME,
GREAT BATTLEFIELDS,
SPECULATION, DR. BUSBY, BASE BALL,
CROQUET, SNAP, PARLOR POLO, CHIVALRY, CORNER GROCERY, DEFINITIONS,
FORBIDDEN FRUIT, TABLE TENNIS, INNOCENCE ABROAD,
BILLY BUMP'S VISIT
TO BOSTON,
YANKEE PEDDLER,
JOHNNY'S HISTORICAL GAME
(must have
Geo. S. Parker & Co. on rules), etc.
Joe Angiolil10 (203) 643-2122 (even ings ),
21 Kenwood Dr., Manchester, CT 06040
(ALSO CASH FOR PHOTOCOPIES IF NO SALE )
ASTRON, BOOM OR BUST, CABBY, BLACK
SAMBO, MAXFIELD PARISH, MILLIONAIRE,
PARK & SHOP, PILE UP, PSYCHIC BASEBALL, STAR REPORTER, STRATEGY, TOONNERVILLE TROLLY,
WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, and bas e ball, fin a n cia 1, fir emen, marble, motorcycle, post office, racing,
radio, space ship,
spinning top, and Christmas games,
plus pre-50's games by unusual companies.
Big Game Hunter/Bruce Whitehil l
13 Knollcrest, Bedlinster, NJ 07921
WANTED
BUILDING
BLOCKS UlANTED
RICHTER. BILT-E-Z. FROEBEL GIFTS
OUIJA BOARDS, TALKING BOARDS, PLANCHETTES,
Occult Items, Fortune Telling Games &
Cards. "Cat Things." Ouija boards - Old,
from inception (2.000+ years old:) to
William Fu1d/Ba1timore Talking Board Co_
(wood with wood indicator) to large Parker
Bros. (23" L x 16" W). P1anchettes (indicators) also made as a separate item to
use for automatic writing. Elayne Heitner,
215 E. 80th St., N.Y .• N.~. 10021. Days:
(212) 546-2000 X2595; Nights, weekends:
(212) 517-3265.
CRANDALL. LINCOLN LOGS. 1935 ERECTOR
THE UNUSUAL
Arlan Coffman
1027 A Twelfth Street
Santa Monica. CA 90403
(213) 451-2050
Highest Prices Paid
ADVERTISING
Ads must be for games
related playthings.
SWAP
or game
The cost of an ad is $1.00 for
SWAP SHOP, $2.00 for GAMES WANTED,
and $3.00 for GAMES FOR SALE, for
the first four lines; each additional four lines is $1.00.
A BUSINESS CARD or equivalent
CAMERA READY ad is $4.00.
Write AGCA Classified, P.O. Box
1179, Great Neck, NY 11023.
For information on DISPLAY ADS,
write Rally Dennis, 110 Spring Road,
Peterborough, NH 03458.
18
SHOP
My McLough1ins (ie AMBUSCADE, etc.)
for your unusual games or game companies.
Big Gale Hunt er, 13 Knollcrest, Bedlinster! NJ 07921
Will trade McLough1ins and others
for W. & S.B. Ives games. Especia11ywant rules and paper board for
MIRELLES
<could be photocopies).
Ives' games I don't have include:
DR. BUSBY, FRENCH PUZZLE BRAIN, MAST~R RODBURY, REWARD OF VIRTUE, FLAGS
OF THE NATIONS, CHARACTERISTICS, AMERICAN EAGLE; 1843 green MANSION OF
HAPPINESS, etc. Will also buy photocopies of same.
Joe Angiol illo, (203) 643-2122 (evenings & weekends)
21 Kenwood Dr., Manchester, CT 06040
Enthusiast ic
Collector
PAVING RIDICULOUS PRICES FOR
VINTAGE BASEBALL GAMES
JOSHUA EVANS
top
10 game
want
1 ist
1
2
3
4
5
ZIMMER'S BASEBALL GAME
ALL McLOUGHLIN BASEBALL
PARLOR BASEBALL 1869
YALE-PRINCETON FOOTBALL
ALL 19TH CENTURY BASEBALL (also pre-1930)
6 PLAYER-ENDORSED (Babe
Ruth, Mickey Mantle,
etc.)
7 BASEBALL PLAYING CARDS
8 E.R. WILLIAMS CARD GAME
9 FOOTBALL (pre-1930)
10 OLYMPIC-RELATED
7
Rittner
wa n t e d
sports
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
SPORTS MEMORABILIA
•
SHEET MUSIC
ADVERTISING DISPLAYS
FIGURAL BASEBALL PIECES
ALL 19TH CENTURY BASEBALL ITEMS
BABE RUTH ITEMS
JACKIE ROBINSON &
BROOKLYN DODGERS
RINGS, TROPHYS, AWARDS
PHOTOS, PRINTS, PAINTINGS, SCULPTURE
LARGE COLLECTIONS &
ESTATES
...Joshua
Evans
Old Bridge~
(201)
679-8212
Lane~
N...J
08857
**************************************
NEW ENGLAND AUCTION GALLERY
PRESENTS
AN ANTIQUE TOY & COLLECTIBLES AUCTION
(617) 581-5366 • BOX 8087
EAST LYNN, MA 01904
19
AMERICAN
GAME
COLLECTORS
1986
ASSOCIATION
CONVENTION
The AGCA's second annual convention has been set for October 31st through
November 2nd at the new Mystic Hil ton in Mystic, Connecticut. The three-day
event will include many of the successful programs of last year, but should
cater to a crowd of about twice the size. Some of the highl ights wi 11 be
the g arne
a L.l.C t i o n (the largest auction of games in the country),
the g a m e
s a l e (featuring choice items from members' collections),
" Sho"",,
&
T e 1 1 " (an annual members ' event which showcases unusual
games),
a
s 1 ide
presen ta t i on
by Lee Dennis (author of
Warman's "Antique American Games" price guide, and curator [with husband
Rally] of the Game Preserve, the nation's only game museum), and various
lectL.l.res
and s e r n i r l a r s ,
including one called "Co~ers
Vs.
Contents:
A
QL.l.estion
of
ValL.l.es"--
a general discussion on the rapid increase in game values and prices, and
on how much of that value is determined by what's in the box rather than
the lithography that's on it .
Also, as our convention this year falls on Halloween, you can count on
the ultimate Halloween party wi th games and prizes galore. The Friday night
opening party will b e , of course, a costume party, and will be hostessed,
of course, by the AGCA ' s own cat-lady of the occult, Elayne Heitner.
On Saturday and Sunday, member s will have the opportunity to discuss future
programs of the organization, a n d plans will be made for the 1987 convention.
Throughou t the weekend partic i pa nts wi 11 share information about games and
game companies, and they wi 1 1 be able to talk with some of the country's
foremost game historians. The r e will be a guest speaker on Saturday, and
demonstrations of game restora tion techniques. Plus, there will be the usual
number of game puzzles, and l o ts of surprises.
The Mystic Hi 1 ton, wh ic h opened in July of this year, is located across
the street from Mystic Vill age and next to a new factory outlet store; two-anda -hal f hours from N. Y. and two hours from Boston, the site of this year's
convention is a short d istance from the historic Mystic Seaport.
Check-in at the Myst ic Hilton begins at 3PM Friday, Oct. 31.
There will
be a cocktai 1 party at 6PM, dinner at 7PM, and the Halloween party from 9PM
to midnight (of course!). At midnight, Ms. Hei tner will conduct a session
on an 1891 Bond Ou i j a board (Bond was the inventor of the Ouija board, most
popular of the "ta l k ing boards", and so l d the rights to Wi 11 iam Fuld, whose
name is now associ ated with this mystical device).
There wi 11 b e planning meetings (open to a 11 members) on Sa turday and
Sunday, and mos t of the main events wi 11 take place on Saturday afternoon.
There will be a banquet Saturday night, and the festive weekend wi 11 end
at noon Sunday at our parting brunch.
The cost for the full weekend package (which includes everything: two
nights ' lodging, 4 meals [no Saturday lunch L
tax and gratui ties, and the
convention registration fee) is $260 per couple; "one-nighters" can register
for $95 / double, which includes all taxes a nd convention registration fees
(gratuities and meals are not included) . For singles, the full package is
$190, and the one-nighter is $80; we wi 11 try to honor all reques ts from
singles who wish to share rooms (which wi 11 make the cost the same as that
for couples). Members who are unable to stay overnight can participate in
any or all of the events during the convention weekend by paying a $30 registration fee (per person) by October 24th.
The AGCA convention is open to members only. Convention registration requires a $100 deposit (full package; $50 for one -nigh ters; $30 for daytrippers) by Oct. 17th. Members who register by Sept. 15th will receive a
$10 AGCA Merchandise Certificate (if they are staying two nights; others
get $5), and will have a chance to win a pri ze in a raffle for early registrants only. Registration checks or requests for i nformation should be sent
to: AGCA Convention, Joe Angiolillo, 21 Ke nwood Drive, Manchester, CT. 06040.
You will receive a confirmation and registrat ion packet one to two wee ks
before the convention.
20