Notable Editions

Since the early 1990s many licensed Monopoly games have been manufactured. Most notably among these is USAopoly. They have put out hundreds of different themed editions. From New York to Las Vegas and from M&Ms to Snoopy, USAopoly has done it all.

In 1991 The Franklin Mint got together with Parker Brothers and produced Monopoly, The Collector's Edition. This is easily the highest priced mass produced Monopoly game on the planet. From $500 in 1991 to $600 more than 10 years later when production finally ceased, this edition had it all. Silver plated houses, gold plated hotels and reproduction tokens were just the beginning. A painted, raised wooden track shows all the classic Atlantic City street names. Inside this, a recessed playing surface is covered with felt. The components are stored in a drawer inside the cabinet. It seems the Franklin Mint is getting ready to produce another collector's edition. This one looks very similar to the original, with the only apparent change being the color of the track on the board. The original had the spaces painted on dark wood, the new version has the classic greenish track. This looks to be a late 2007 or 2008 release.

Winning Moves has released 8 different versions of a 1935 reproduction set (4 boxed sets, one in a tin made for Kohl's, a wooden set made for Restoration Hardware (another version of the wooden box is available through winning Moves), and one actually produced by Hasbro for Sam's Club). These sets are complete with boards with no prices (a rate card is included to aide with property prices). They also include reproductions of the "pencil sketch" Chance and Community Chest cards (including a "Go Back To Baltic Avenue" Community Chest card that probably never saw production originally). These are nice sets and a must have for any Monopoly collection.

Also from Winning Moves is the 2006 Monopoly, The Mega Edition. This games adds one property to each color group, introduces $1000 bills to the Monopoly game, and new components; the Speed Die, bus tickets, train depots, and skyscrapers. With the new components the Mega Edition is not only the largest Monopoly game ever, but also the fastest. In my opinion, this is also a must have (if not for the vintage collection, then as a player).

New to the Monopoly family in 2007 is the Danbury Mint. They have produced a set that seems as nice (if not nicer) as the Franklin mint set for a couple of hundred dollars less. This game has a recessed playing surface, silver plated houses and tokens, gold plated hotels, and four drawers for players to store their money and properties. This game is on my wish list so anyone who wants to help the webmaster ...