Which Themes Do Collectors Like the Most? Which are Your Favorites

By Bruce Whitehill

Any discussion about game lists should begin with a list of the most collectible themes. Excuse me if I've stretched some categories to keep the list to 10.

These are the themes that are of the most interest to collectors - and that translates into more money for the top games of that particular theme, I have not included television or personalities.

1. Sports, baseball games are especially desirable;
2. Santa Clause and Christmas - this is a hot area. There weren't a lot of games made, so rarity has had a significant impact on value;
3. Cartoon and comic characters, especially monsters;
4. Black characters;
5. Automobiles, motorcycles and race cars;
6. Space and aviation, including biplanes, blimps, balloons, jets, rockets and airliners;
7. Military, especially battle scenes;
8. Other transportation games, including touring cars, trains, trolleys and bicycles, especially velocipedes;
9. Social issues, including lifestyles and politics;
10. Finance, a fast-growing theme that includes business, high finance and stock market.

Here are some of the best games by category:

• Monster - Wolfman Mystery Game, Frankenstein, Dracula and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, all 1963, Hasbro; Munsters Drag Race Game, 1964, Munsters Masquerade Party Game, 1964 and Munsters Picnic Game, 1965, all by Hasbro; Voice of the Mummy, 1971, Milton Bradley.
• Military - War of Nations, 1910s, Milton Bradley; Capture the Fort, 1914, Valley Novelty Works; Blackout, 1939, Milton Bradley; Conflict, 1940, Parker Brothers; Blockade, 1941, Corey; Ferry Command, 1943, Milton Bradley.
• Space - Star Flight, 1931, Wilder; Stratosphere, 1936, Whitman; Planet Patrol, 1950s, Milton Bradley; Space Pilot, 1951, Cadaco-Ellis; Blast Off, 1953, Selchow & Righter; Orbit, 1959 and 1966, Parker Brothers.
• Mystery - The Great Charlie Chan Detective Game, 1937, Milton Bradley; Philo Vance, 1937, Parker Brothers; Tom Swift, 1966, Parker Brothers; James Bond Message From M, 1966, Ideal (and other Milton Bradley James Bond games from 1964-1966); The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Thrush Ray Gun Affair Game, 1966, Ideal; The Case of The Elusive Assassin, 1967, Ideal; Murder on the Orient Express, 1967, Ideal; Fu Manchu's Hidden Hoard, 1967, Ideal; And Then There Were None, 1968, Ideal (based on Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians.)
• Advertising - Little Shopper, 1915, Gibson Game Co.; Lay's Lunar Landing Game, 1969, Lay's Packing Co.; The Campbell Kids Shopping Game, 1955, Parker Brothers.
• Skill and action or dexterity - Improved Game of Fish Pond, 1890, McLoughlin Brothers; Magnetic Fish Pond, 1891, McLoughlin Brothers; Pinky Lee Game Time, 1955, Pressman; Mousetrap, 1963, Ideal; Crazy Clock, 1964, Ideal; The Game of Jaws, 1976, Ideal.

Here are some additional games that don't fit into a particular category:

• Automobile game with the most pieces - Assembly Line, 1953, Selchow & Righter
• Hit game whose value has gone up the least in the past 15 years - The Beatles Flip Your Wig Game, 1964, Milton Bradley
• Most underrated game - Universe, 1964, Parker Brothers. Illustration is from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. How did this game become linked with the film, and why does it resemble an undiscovered planet?
• Hottest game that doesn't fit into a category - King Zor, 1962, Ideal. It's like a monster, but it's based on a toy!

The preceding material was written by Bruce Whitehill. These are the opinions of the author, not the opinions of eBay, and therefore eBay does not validate the accuracy of or endorse these opinions.