This is a beautiful collection of Vintage monopoly tokens, they are specifically designed to easily be printed on any FDM(plastic) & SLA(resin) technology.
While many board games use colorful little pegs as markers, Monopoly, the game with the unique power to unite and divide a family in the matter of an hour, has those odd tokens youâre no doubt familiar with. Youâve probably played more than a few games with the little racecar or thimble without ever stopping to think, âWhy the hell am I a thimble?â
Monopoly was created by Lizzy Magie in the early 1900s as a way to demonstrate, in game form, the greedy land grabbing that robber barons were doing in the Gilded Age. It was about as anticapitalist a game as they come â until a greedy capitalist of another sort came through and changed that. In the 1930s, Charles Darrow took credit for the idea of the game and put forth a story about using small items from around the home as playing pieces. He continued to get credit for Monopolyâs creation for more than half a century until people started to shed light on Magieâs true story in the 2010s.
While the origin story has more than its fair share of unfair plot twists, the original version of the game itself has been consistently popular with a long line of special editions with unique pieces. From 1950 to 1988, the pieces stayed the same. A lot has changed since then, though. These are the backstories of each of the major pieces.
Top Hat Often considered the most recognizable icon of the game, the top hat is one of the things you might expect a Gilded Age railroad titan to wear. The token was based on the hat the gameâs lead character, Mr. Monopoly, would wear. Of course, when the game was introduced, he was known as Rich Uncle Pennybags, and many have speculated the character was based on J.P. Morgan.
Thimble
The piece of choice of US Monopoly champion Richard Marinaccio, the thimble is one of the original pieces. Much like the top hat and shoe, the thimble has appeared in most versions of the game that have been released. It didnât make it far into the 21st century, though. The thimble was retired in 2017, only to make a surprise comeback in 2022.
Iron
The iron was another classic token that fell to the wayside. Perhaps saddest to see it go was Monopoly World Champion Bjorn Halvard Knappskog, who used the piece in his last championship match. The iron should have seen the writing on the wall: it was the second least popular piece in a 1998 vote.
Boot
Around since the beginning, the Boot was modeled after the practical work shoe of the 30s. Instead of changing its design with the times, the Boot has remained the same and is a symbol of both hard work and the riches that can come along with it. It was the third and final token to be retired in 2017. A T-Rex, penguin, and rubber ducky replaced the thimble, wheelbarrow, and boot.
Battleship
The die-cast metal battleship token is actually somewhat of a game piece celebrity. The piece was originally used by Parker Brothers in a game called Conflict. When that game failed, it was easy enough for the company to take the pieces and use them in Monopoly. Since then, it has also been used in the game Diplomacy as well.
Cannon
Often called the cannon even though rumor is the piece was supposed to be called the howitzer, this piece is closely tied to the battleship.The cannon was also used in Conflict and tossed in with Monopoly as that game failed. In 1946, it changed from its original design to the long cannon style. Unlike most pieces, the cannon was simply dropped from the lineup without any kind of fan vote or campaign. Some might say heavy artillery doesnât belong in real estate, anyway.
Racecar
The car was the seventh token added to the original game. The racecar steals its sharp looks from a 1930s roadster. The original idea was to design the car token based on the car Mr. Monopoly would drive around. Itâs undergone a few changes through time, and it sported a â3â on its side until sometime in the 1960s.
Scottie Dog
One of three new tokens added in the 1950s, the Scottie Dog became Mr. Monopolyâs right hand pup. The token has become the most loved of all the pieces. Who wouldnât want manâs best friend by their side as they buy up Illinois Avenue?
Wheelbarrow
Introduced in the 1950s wave of token changes, the wheelbarrow was one of the pieces that replaced the lantern, purse, and rocking horse. The wheelbarrow was included as an emblem of hard work and one of the prime tools needed to build the properties around the board. It met its demise in 2017 with the thimble and boot.
Horse & Rider
The horse and rider became a staple piece beginning in the early 50s until it met a similar fate as the cannon of being removed without much fanfare. Cars, apparently, are much more in vogue.