Popular vintage board games from the ’30s & ’40s

Popular vintage board games from the ’40s

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Famous Parker games: Monopoly (1936)

The Whole World is playing MONOPOLY — the Greatest Game Craze ever known.

The proved White Box Set with removable Bank (compartment tray), double supply special “Slip” Money and gold stamped Grand Hotels is the favorite medium-priced set.

3 to 10 players. Price $3.50. Monopoly from $2 upwards. Beautiful New $10 and $25 Sets. Rules include Two Forms of “Short” Monopoly for a quick game.

Vintage Monopoly board game from 1936 - Parker Brothers


Melvin Purvis’ G-Men board game

Latest game thrill for youngsters up to 90 years of age. Run down the”Public Enemy”  — Get your man! Price $1.50.

Camelot vintage game

Famous and Exciting Battle game for Men and Boys. A hundred times more lively than checkers. A wonderful game! $1 to $5 a set.
Vintage G Men and Camelot board games from 1936 - Parker Brothers

Other famous Parker Games from 1936 include Make a Million, Rook, Flinch, Touring, Sorry, Pigskin, Hendrik Van Loon’s Wide World game, etc.

ALSO SEE: 50+ old-fashioned games: Take look back at what people played 100 years ago


Mr. Ree: The thriller mystery game (1937)

Who killed Aunt Cora? No dice, no spinners, no pathway to follow. Special character pawns. Mystery weapons. Knife. Poison. Revolver. Hatchet.

Plot executed right before your eyes. No one but the guilty knows who did it. It’s the detective’s job to find out. Easy to learn and play. Lasts 15 to 30 minutes; 4 to 8 players. 

1937 Mr Ree Thriller Mystery game - Board games


Highway Patrol (the National Safety Game)

NEW Board Game! Watch out! Don’t cut in! Drive your car properly and WIN. Price $1.50

Vintage Highway Patrol board game from 1936 - Parker Brothers

MORE: Retro versions of classic board games: 12 hits of yesteryear you can get again


Rich Uncle

We strongly recommend this exciting, quick action, fast playing, new game. It is excellent. Rich Uncle Pennybags who owns most of the town, and the “Daily Bugle” plays a startling and most novel part in this unusual game. Price $3.00

Vintage board games from 1946 - Rich Uncle


Egyptian game Senet

A new revelation. The most popular game of 4000 years ago, interpreted by Parker Brothers from ancient Egyptian sources in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Price $3.00

Vintage board games from 1946 - Senet


Best-selling board games in the ’40s

Most popular of the world’s great standard games. Best seller of “best sellers.” Sets at $2 and upwards.

  • Camelot – Best modern board game of skill. Gray-box set $1.50. Pictorial board set $2; with ivoroid men $5 and $7.50.
  • Rook – The Game of Games. Always and every-where popular. Quick climaxes and exciting play. 75 cents.
  • Children’s Hour (NEW) – Box contains three jolly, fun-making games. $2.00
  • Finance – Fast action trading game. $1.50
  • Pigskin – Captain Tom Hamilton’s own game. Football at its best. $3.50
  • Dig – Letter game played with “magic picks.” $1.50
  • Flinch – Popular everywhere. 150 cards. $1.00
  • Sorry – A great board game. Surprise moves and unusual action. $2.00

Vintage board games from 1947 – Walt Disney Uncle Remus game

Vintage board games from 1947 - Walt Disney Uncle Remus game

MORE: Look back at Candy Land, the vintage board game that made millions of kids dream of an ice cream & lollipop world


Sorry: Vintage game from the ’40s

Full of surprise moves and unusual plays. One of the best-loved board games for players of all ages.

Vintage board games from 1947 - Sorry


Crow Hunt game

Most amusing of all shooting games. Special accurate repeating rifle shoots elastic bands. Comical crows and “Elmer the Duck” automatically reappear as a target.

1947 board games - Crow Hunt


Camelot

The fascination of Camelot, its interest and mental excitement increases by leaps and bounds after a beginner has played his first few games. Camelot is indeed “one of the few really great games”— Easily learned.

No. 25 gray-boxed set $1.25; No. 80 Standard Edition — handsome pictorial and slightly larger board $2; No. 90 Tournament Set, large board with large squares, enameled wood pieces $3.50; No. 95 Tournament Set with Ivoroid pieces $5.

Camelot - 1944 board games

ALSO SEE: Vintage Gamemaster board games, including Axis & Allies, Shogun & Conquest of the Empire


Cam (quick-playing form of the Camelot game)

Cam - 1949 Board games


Vintage board games from 1941 – US Service games

Vintage board games from 1941 - US Service games


Dig action game

The pick does the trick! Just dig letters from the pile with the Magic Pick, and be the first to form a winning word.

Vintage board games from 1941 - Dig


Pit vintage game from 1944

For a gay fun-making game, for laughter, excitement and a general good time nothing in card games has ever equaled PIT, now experiencing a remarkable revival. Tremendous favorite with young people and house parties. Fine quality cards 75 cents.

Pit vintage 1940s game


Bonanza: Mississippi River Boat gameVintage board games from 1941 - Bonanza


Contack: Match colored & numbered triangles

Vintage board games from 1940 - Contack


Make-A-Million

A sensational Card Game. The Object is to Capture Count Cards totaling a Million. Havoc is raised by the adroit use of the Exciting Bull and Bear cards. You will like it. Price 75 cents.

Vintage board games from 1947 - Make-A-Million


Vintage board games from 1940 – Citadel

Attack and counter-attack with Barons, Heralds and Archers! You’ll enjoy the original moves in Citadel — an artistic new game which is easy to learn, and smart to play.

Vintage board games from 1940 - Citadel


Circle Gammon – Adaptation of Backgammon

Vintage board games from 1940 - Circle Gammon


Vintage board games from 1949 – Tiddledy Winks Tennis

Vintage board games from 1949 - Tiddledy Winks Tennis

MORE: About Tiddlywinks: The history of the old-fashioned game people keep rediscovering


Ro-Nock-O with marbles

Vintage board games from 1949 - Ro-Nock-O


Lobby: A hilarious game about politics

Vintage board games from 1949 - Lobby


Expanse

Here’s a game you won’t play once or twice and toss aside. it’s unique — different — fascinating — and complicated.

Doesn’t play the same way twice — guaranteed to hold your interest indefinitely as you move cargo around the world against the intrigue and speed of your rivals.

Vintage board games from 1949 - Expanse

MORE: Popular vintage board games from the ’50s

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Comments on this story

2 Responses

  1. I’m looking for a game that was put out by Parker Brothers in the 1930’s or 1940’s called Boom or Bust. I have looked every where and can’t find it. My husband played the game as a child at his grandmothers house and would love to have it. Do you know where I can maybe get it.

    Thank You, Annette

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