The Stock Market (1936)

This is a dice-driven stock speculation game with an unusual scoring mechanism. There are three decks of cards: red Bear cards, blue Bull cards and white Speculation cards. All three piles are placed face down on the board, along with a pile of stock certificates, each bearing the name of a different major company and a $1,000 face value. Each player puts $100 to start in the Broker space. On their turn, players roll 2D6. On a 3-6, they draw a Bear card. On a 7-11, they draw a Bull card. Either variety may offer an opportunity to take a Speculation card. On a 2 or 12, they collect all cash and stock in the Broker space, and each player then pays another $100 into the space. While some cards call for cash or stock to be paid to or from the Broker or other players, most provide a market up or down number. This does not affect the value of any stock, however. Each player has a scorecard with a metal clip that starts at zero and can move from -20 to +20. Each time the player's market hits +13 on the way up and +20, he draws a free stock certificate. He loses the same at -13 and -20. The winner of the game is the first to accumulate $7,500 in cash and stock value. This Depression-era game has a clear upward bias: players draw Bear cards only 39% of the time, with the remaining rolls being positive; and 60% of the Speculation cards are positive. As the slogan on the game's rules puts it: "Big Winners, Big Losses, but Losses are Quickly Regained". —user summary