Little has changed on a Monopoly board in the past 50 years (Baltic Avenue is still cheap; Boardwalk is still the lap of luxury) but an old edition of the game can be worth more than 20 times what a brand-new one is—for example, a 1946 set was recently selling for $400 on eBay. Griffith says in the past 10 years, interest in vintage games has really taken off. He credits the renewed interest in mid-century modern décor, noting that people are even decorating their living rooms with game boards and playing pieces. Other potential gold mines hiding in your cabinets: wooden puzzles; vintage playing cards; and backgammon, chess and mahjong, notably those with pieces made of Bakelite, an early plastic (
here's how to tell real from fake Bakelite).
