Classic Versions 1962 to 1975 (USA)
1962
1962 brought about the return of the white box #9. This would be the mainstay for the next 25 years. A few special editions were available in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, but the #9 was the set in most households in the United States.
Amazingly there is less known about the 1960s #9 than the sets from the ‘30s. I’ve done my best to piece these sets together, so here goes!
The first two 1962 #9s had a picture of the board on the left, a large "Monopoly" in a red stripe running from the board to the right side of the box, "Parker Brothers Real Estate Trading Game Equipment" above the red stripe, the familiar dual locomotives, Darrow caricature, and dollar sign on the lower right, and the Parker Brothers signature with "Salem, Massachusetts" and "Made in U. S. A." under it on one and Salem, Des Moines, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Atlanta on the other.
Inside, there was a blue bound board with a label, plastic houses and hotels, and 8 tokens: Long cannon, top hat, Scottie dog, ship, thimble, race car, shoe, and iron. Missing were the wheelbarrow and the horse and rider. My guess would be that the box with the 6 cities on it is the earlier version.
1964
The Parker "swirl" appeared in about 1964 and there are three different "swirl"/signature boxes. These boxes are identical to the 1962 box with the exception of the lower left corner. One has "Parker Brothers Inc., Salem, Mass. Made in U. S. A." in white under the swirl. This set has the same tokens as the two earlier sets (the only difference being that there’s no 3 on the race car. I think this is the earliest "swirl" set. The second set has "Salem, Massachusetts / Des Moines, Iowa" in white under the swirl and "Made in U. S. A." in black on the lower left corner of the blue field. The tokens in this set are the same. The box in this set was changed from a folded box to a pressed box. The third set is the same as the second with the addition of "Parker Brothers Trademark For its Real Estate Trading game Equipment" in black under the blue field. The tokens in set include the wheelbarrow, thimble, top hat, iron, Scottie dog, shoe, horse and rider, and race car (with filled in cockpit). The wheelbarrow and horse and rider replaced the ship and long cannon.
1968
In 1968 Parker Brothers was sold to General Mills and became part of the General Mills Fun Group. Three versions of the #9 have the big "G" on them. The first two of these sets have the "G" on the front of the box. The label is gone from the board and the tokens are the same as previous versions. The race car looks more like the modern token now. It’s no longer hollow or completely filled in. The inside of the cockpit is filled in now so there’s no hole it. The second is identical to the first with "Parker Brothers Trademark For its Real Estate Trading game Equipment" in black under the blue field. The third "G" set has no "G" on the cover but has "A Parker Game" and "Ages 8 to Adult 2 to 8 Players" next to the swirl. It also has "Parker Brothers Trademark For its Real Estate Trading game Equipment" in black under the blue field. That makes 8 different versions of this box top.
Similarities and differences between the American, Dutch and "Other Countries" versions
U.S.A. | Netherlands | Other Countries |
---|---|---|
Parker Brothers Real Estate Trading Game Equipment | Licentie Parker Brothers U.S.A. | No name mention above the bar whatsoever |
No # in red square | # 77314® in red square | # 77314® in red square |
$-teken under red square | No currency mention | No currency mention |
Name mention in blue field | Name mention in blue field | No name mention in blue field |
White tray + red insert | White tray + red insert | 1 Red tray |
Tray is made of cardboard | Tray is made of plastic | Tray is made of plastic |
On red insert mention of kind of tokens | On red insert mention of kind of tokens | Only 1 kind, viz. the renowned 8 pewter tokens |
Back of the board always blue | Back of the board always blue | Back of the board red or blue |
Blank bottom of the box | Blank bottom of the box | Somethimes with a photo of Charles Darrow |