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I recently acquired an old Monopoly game.  I sorted through the pieces and everything seemed to be there (except the rules of play).  The box specified that the game includes eight tokens, but oddly, this box contained ten. 

I am unsure which pieces did not belong:

  • Top hat * +
  • Dog (Scottish Terrier) +
  • Race Car +
  • Cannon *
  • Boot *
  • Person on horseback
  • Iron *
  • Wheelbarrow
  • Battleship * +
  • Thimble * +

* The six original Monopoly pieces in 1935.
+ The current Monopoly tokens list for current-edition games (plus: Cat, Penguin, Rubber Ducky)

After a poking around the internet (see here), I learned that many Monopoly pieces have come and gone over the years.  Some interesting tidbits:

  • Over the years, the composition of the pieces changed. Pieces were made of Zamac (zinc alloy), a lead and tin mixture, paper and sawdust composite, and wood.
  • During WWII, wooden pieces were introduced so that the metal could be used for the war effort.
  • After the 1970’s the pieces shrank in size.
  • In 1998, a vote was held to choose a new piece from among: Sack of Money, Piggy Bank, or Bi-plane. The Sack of Money won.
  • In 2013, the Iron was retired, and the Cat replaced it after a vote among: Cat, Diamond Ring, Toy Robot, Helicopter, and Guitar.
  • In 2017, the Penguin, T-Rex, and Rubber Ducky replaced the Thimble, Wheelbarrow, and Boot.
  • In 2022, several pieces came out of retirement, and several relatively new pieces were retired.

Here is a comprehensive list of token comings and goings from this article:

Token

Introduced

Retired

Cannon

Early 1935

1946

Iron

Early 1935

2013

Thimble

Early 1935

2017

Thimble (comeback)

2022

Current

Boot

Early 1935

2017

Top Hat

Early 1935

Current

Battleship

Early 1935

Current

Race Car

Mid 1935

Current

Purse

Late 1935

1950

Lantern

1936

1950

Rocking Horse

1936

1950

Horse and Rider

1940

2007

Wheelbarrow

1940

2017

Scottie Dog

1940

Current

Howitzer

1946

2007

Money Bag

1998

2007

Cat (Hazel)

2013

Current

T-Rex

2017

2022

Penguin

2017

Current

Rubber Ducky

2017

Current

 

Although I am not a particular fan of the game of Monopoly (I need more patience), I do find the tokens intriguing!

What do the changes in pieces say about what was happening in our society at the time?

I can see why the Iron and Thimble were retired because of the “domestic” feel associated with them, but what of the Thimble’s comeback in 2022?  Perhaps COVID-19 inspired us to become craftier?

For the pieces that have endured – is there something about those pieces that speaks to us on a fundamental level?  The long-timers like the Top Hat, Thimble, Dog, and Race Car are truly part of the "American persona."  Conversely, we decided it was time to set aside the Iron, Cannon, and Howitzer.  I can get behind those decisions.  The Boot, Wheelbarrow, Purse, and Money Bag all had long runs, but the T-Rex was gone in a flash.

So … do you think that selecting a certain piece says something of our personality?  Here are my (unofficial) personality profiles for the current pieces:

  • Top Hat – formal, proper, organized, concerned with appearance
  • Race Car – competitive, sporty, James Bond type
  • Battleship – serious, super competitive, ready to take on anything or anyone
  • Thimble – domestic, crafty (with whiff of shyness perhaps?)
  • Dog (Scottish Terrier) – loyal, fun loving, up for anything, spunky, a little naughty
  • Cat – independent, but willing to cuddle
  • Penguin – concerned with the environment, doesn’t mind the cold
  • Rubber Ducky – wacky, fun-loving, perhaps a bit immature, a child at heart

If I had to choose: Dog, Rubber Ducky, or Penguin would be my top three.  (You always need a backup in case you don’t get your first choice.) What about you?  Do you have a favorite?  Do you think there is any correlation between the piece a person chooses and their personality?

And now, a small tribute to the Thimble:

Thimble

Dimpled elf hat,
protector of fingers,
epitome of domesticity!

By day,
you shield against needles
deflecting stabs
in the war of stitches.

At night,
you retire to your
sewing-box sanctuary,
nestled among
scraps of fabric.

© Tracey Kiff-Judson, draft 2024

Thank you for joining me in my Monopoly-token ponderings.  Please share your link below!

53 comments

  • Gosh Tracey, this deep dive was a blast! I remember playing my mom's childhood game and liking the dog, thimble, and top hat best. I never thought about the tokens changing over the years, though I remember feeling that more modern Monopoly games without metal tokens weren't quite the same. I am fascinated by this timeline and your questions around it. And your poem for Thimble is respectful and really delightful. I keep a couple of old silver thimbles with my knitting notions...just to remember the female ancestors I never knew. Now I want to think more about them - thimbles and women. Thank you for hosting and all of this charm and curiosity! xo, a.
    • Thank you, Amy!  It is wonderful that you have thimbles from your ancestors!  That is very special, and I imagine you are already stitching up a beautiful poem about them.
  • I love uncovering niche bits of history, and the history of the Monopoly game pieces fits that bill! Fascinating. I totally agree that choice of token = personality trait. I'm 100% thimble, with a strong dash of cat.
    Thanks for hosting us and for paying tribute to the humble thimble. Like Amy, I keep the ones that have been passed down to me so I can slip a finger in now and then and than an ancestor for my love for playing with fabric and thread!
  • Thanks for the walk down memory lane, Tracey. I had no idea there was so much history in the tokens. I played Monopoly quite a bit as a kid and I think I always leaned toward the shoe and the dog. I love the structure of your poem - praise for the thimble, then a description of what it is by day and by night. And "dimpled elf hat" is perfect! Now I need to dig up our Monopoly game and see what tokens it holds.
    • I like the dog-shoe combo!  That's a good pairing, in my opinion.  Thank you for your thoughts about the poem.  I hope you find something interesting in your Monopoly box!  I am really tempted to try to turn the pieces into a charm bracelet.
  • Tracey, you are a delight! Thank you for sharing your Monopoly curiosity trail with us! There’s something so inviting about the shape of a thimble. I’m not a big monopoly player, but that would be my choice. Or the dog! I love your use of the word “dimpled.” And I would definitely say one of the gifts of Covid was the reawakening of the joy of handicrafts! And board games! 💜
    • Thank you, Irene!  You're right - I think it may be impossible to see a thimble and not think about putting it on!
  • It wouldn't let me comment before, so trying again... just wanted to thank you for the memories! The thimble and iron were always my facvorites, for some reason. Thanks for hosting!
    • So sorry, Matt!  Not sure what went wrong.  Thank you for coming back and trying again!  I, too, like the iron-thimble combination.
  • I adore this, Tracey! I love a good deep dive, a rabbit trail, an old-fashioned investigation that is born of simple, beautiful curiosity. And your tribute to the thimble gives that humble little tool the recognition it deserves. So unassuming, yet so helpful. :) 
    I have always been partial to the Scottie Dog because it reminds me of my maternal grandmother. I don't think she ever had a Scottie Dog, but for some reason she loved them. :) ❤️
    Thanks so much for hosting! 
    • How interesting that she loved Scottie Dogs and didn't have one!  There is a house not far from where I live that has Scottie Dogs cut out of their shudders, and I often wonder if they have one (or more!), or just like the design.
  • I love thimbles, and I think they may have come back because there is an increased interest in quilting. It's so cool to think about Monopoly as a game that has weathered wars and societal trends. And anyone who has ever been stabbed with a needle knows how useful they might be in the "war of stitches." Very interesting, Tracey!  
    • Thank you, Janice!  I was wondering if anyone might reply that they have a thimble collection, but so far no luck!
  • Hi Tracey! I would pick a Lantern for myself, although I'm not picky so anything is fine. A rocking horse also sounds good. Or a thimble! :)
    Thanks for hosting!
  • Tracey,
    This was a fun post! Thanks! 
    Recently, while cleaning out my parents' basement, we came across old monopoly pieces just like you have here. (I took them but have to remember what I did with them now to see which ones are in the set I got.)  For some reason, I was motivated to take them, even though I'm not a big fan of Monopoly either. It must have been because they are the tokens we played with as kids. 
    The thimble was always my favorite because my grandma was a great seamstresss - making all of our clothes for my siter and I until we were teens!  I still think of her today when I see a thimble. And yes, I have a couple that were hers (for sewing).
    • Carol, that is too funny that you had the pieces alone.  They are, by far, the best part!  How sweet that your grandmother sewed your clothes for you.  My mom was a great seamstress too and made most of the clothes for my brother, sisters, and I when we were young.  It is nice to have a way to connect to memories of people we loved through the skills that they had and shared.
  • The different iterations of the Monopoly pieces is fascinating and a real rabbit hole to crawl into. Thanks for sharing what you found out. I love how your poem personifies the little thimble. 

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