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 collectors take a turn at modern board games! Five thousand years ago, in the land of Sumer between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, members of the royal household entertained themselves playing what is now known as the Royal Game of Ur. King Tut was entombed with a game of senet. Beautiful multicolored game pieces were highly prized by the ancients. Even today, games are valued for their visual appeal as much as for the game itself. "Game collecting is a hobby which has seen enormous growth in the last ten years," said Alex G. Malloy, author of the new book American Games: Comprehensive Collector's Guide. "It has become a new and widely accepted pastime." Modern age games, those produced between 1946 and 1999, often employ licensed characters from comic strips, movies, television, and radio. Milton Bradley began the television-theme game craze in 1950 with the Hopalong Cassidy board game. In near-mint condition, it can now rope in as much as $110 on the collectibles market. Hopalong Cassidy Chinese Checkers, produced in 1951, is valued at $75 in Malloy's book. Later television-based games bearing the famous MB logo are also collectible. The I Dream of Jeannie Game from 1965 is valued at $75, and the 1971 Scooby Doo Game reaches $35. Robert Whitman, founder of Bettye-B Co., was one of the first game manufacturers to spin off a TV game show with Masquerade Party, valued at $75 today. "By 1955, some 12 game companies were producing TV games, the peak number of companies at any time since," said Malloy. Lowell Toy was one of the most prolific producers with Beat the Clock ( $35), Groucho's You Bet Your Life ($85), and What's My Line ($65) among its titles. Milton Bradley also produced a Beat the Clock game in 1969 that has a collector value of $25. Comic-book superheros have been the subject of many board games. Milton Bradley produced The Adventures of Superman ($200) in 1938. Spiderman, Aquaman, Batman, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Shazam, Wonder Woman, Superboy, the X-men and Green Hornet all have board games to their name. But it isn't only superheros who can travel from comic book pages to the game board. Dick Tracy, Peanuts, Blondie, and Garfield are just a few of the many strips that have made the transition. MB's Orphan Annie to the Rescue (circa 1930s) is valued at $200. The 1946 Li'l Abner His Game can fetch up to $125. Transogram produced several games featuring Popeye in the 1960s. These range in value from the Popeye Sling Dart Game at $30 to Popeye Ball Toss at $65. There are several rules of thumb novice collectors should know before encountering the hobby's chutes and ladders. "The outside of the box is the collector's first and prime concern in terms of grading," said Malloy. "The points on the corner of the box should be the primary focal point as it is here that the game shows the first signs of wear." Collectors of early American (pre-1900) games will be happy to have just the board, but later games without the box are for playing only. "A great box without a board is of very limited value," Malloy said. "Even early boards, pre-1940, in and of themselves have a value." Games deteriorate more quickly than other collectibles like plastic and metal toys, cards, stamps, and coins. Boxes flatten, parts are lost, and mildew, water, and light take their toll. "A game played only five or six times will usually show decisive wear and even careful storage of games can result in warped boxes or sagged centers," said Malloy. "Games do not hold up well under ordinary conditions. " In addition, misplaced game pieces, die, and instructions present continual roadblocks in game collecting. The popular Milton Bradley Dark Shadows game was issued with white plastic fangs to be worn by players. These fangs are rarely found with the game today. On the positive side, families rarely threw out their games, choosing instead to store them in attics and basements. As a result, interesting and rare games are always surfacing for sale. This aspect is what allows the hobby to remain exciting and fresh. "It is a hobby still in its infancy, and it is not uncommon to find a game that no expert ever knew to exist," said Malloy. Copyright 2000 by Krause Publications. For a free catalog of Krause Publications books or periodicals on collectibles, write Public Relations, Dept. IC, Krause Publications, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990-0001, or visit www.krause.com on the worldwide web, or e-mail info@krause.com. 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