Chance cards
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There are sixteen Chance cards in the standard editions (U.S. and UK) of the game Monopoly. Chance cards in the standard US edition of the game are dark orange in color, and printed on only one side in black, unraised ink. The use of upper-case or lower-case type and punctuation are inconsistent. These inconsistencies are not duplicated here. The "advance token to the nearest railroad" card is included twice by design. The widely recognizable (and often parodied) "Get Out of Jail Free" card has its two clauses in the opposite order one would expect: "This card may be kept until needed or sold" appears at the top of the card, with "Get out of jail free" on the bottom.
The cards first appeared with the development of what became Monopoly in the 1920s. Daniel Layman's Finance board game included Chance cards (as well as Community Chest cards). The first Monopoly editions, self-published originally by Charles B. Darrow, and later by Parker Brothers, featured a few different cards than the ones printed currently. Editions published between 1933-1935 featured only text on the cards, which is still true of most UK editions, as well as translations based on the UK standard edition. Various illustrations appeared on the cards in the U.S. edition starting in 1935, and the more familiar illustrations featuring the Rich Uncle Pennybags character were introduced in 1936.
Changes in the Chance cards in the U.S. editions include:
- Parking Fine: $15 (now omitted)
- Pay Poor Tax: $12 (now $15)
- Pay School Tax: $150 (moved to Community Chest)
- You Are Assessed for Street Repairs (moved to Community Chest)
- Your Xmas Fund Matures: Collect $100 (moved to Community Chest)
The following cards were introduced by Parker Brothers in 1936:
- Advance Token to the Nearest Railroad (2x)
- Advance Token to the Nearest Utility
- Elected Chairman of the Board: Pay Each Player $50
Cards in the U.S. Standard Edition (the "Atlantic City Edition") which do not appear in the UK Standard Edition:
- Advance token to the nearest utility. If unowned you may buy it from bank. If owned, throw dice and pay owner a total ten times the amount thrown.
- Advance token to the nearest Railroad and pay owner Twice the Rental to which he is otherwise entitled. If Railroad is unowned, you may buy it from the Bank. [Two such cards in the U.S. version]
- Pay poor tax of $15
- You have been elected chairman of the board. Pay each player $50
Cards in the UK Standard Edition which derived from the 1935 Darrow/Parker Brothers edition and are now omitted in the U.S. edition, or are entirely new:
- Pay school fees of £150
- You are assessed for street repairs: £40 per house £115 per hotel
- "Drunk in charge" fine £20
- Speeding fine £15
- You have won a crossword competition. Collect £100
[edit] Other editions
Chance cards are customized for other local and special editions. Placenames get changed on customized boards, and the cards are further customized for local currency, though the actual amounts often stay the same. Text on the cards for the special edition boards is changed to reflect the theme of the board.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Passing Go: Early Monopoly, 1933-1937 by "Clarence B. Darwin" (pseudonym for David Sadowski), Folkopoly Press, River Forest, Illinois. Pages 19, 198-206.
- UK. Standard Edition (London) board, copyright 1961, Waddingtons.
