Monopoly thumbnail 1
Monopoly thumbnail 2
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Monopoly

Board Game
1936-1939 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The game of Monopoly was first published in the United States in 1936 by Parker Brothers. They bought the rights to the game from Charles Darrow, who claimed to have invented it. He, however, based it on earlier versions of a land-owning game that had been around since about 1900. In particular, Monopoly is very similar to The Landlord's Game, which was patented in 1904 by Lizzie Magie. This, like other similar games, was very popular among the Quaker community in the USA. The Quakers supported a single tax system - a tax on land ownership. The street names in the original Monopoly came from Atlantic City. This was where Charles Darrow went on holiday.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 13 parts.

  • Box Lid
  • Box Base
  • Game Board
  • Rules
  • Playing Pieces
  • Dice
  • Cards
  • Cards
  • Cards
  • Play Money
  • Toy Buildings
  • Toy Buildings
  • Components
TitleMonopoly (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Printed card
Brief description
Printed card board game, Monopoly, made in England by John Waddington Ltd in the late 1930s
Dimensions
  • Playing surface length: 48.6cm
  • Playing surface width: 48.6cm
Production typeMass produced
Summary
The game of Monopoly was first published in the United States in 1936 by Parker Brothers. They bought the rights to the game from Charles Darrow, who claimed to have invented it. He, however, based it on earlier versions of a land-owning game that had been around since about 1900. In particular, Monopoly is very similar to The Landlord's Game, which was patented in 1904 by Lizzie Magie. This, like other similar games, was very popular among the Quaker community in the USA. The Quakers supported a single tax system - a tax on land ownership. The street names in the original Monopoly came from Atlantic City. This was where Charles Darrow went on holiday.
Collection
Accession number
MISC.39:1 to 13-1977

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Record createdMarch 2, 2004
Record URL
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