Hi. New member here. Keen birdwatcher and part time antique dealer. I have just come across a wonderful old 'Bird Card Game', produced by a company called J.M. & Co. Ltd. for the RSPB, in 1938. It has a linen board, sets of 13 beautifully produced playing cards with different bird images, sets of 'stop' and 'go' cards, four lovely metal motor car playing pieces, a die and shaker cup. The objective is to travel around the country by car, returning birds to their sanctuaries, dealing with the various hazards that birds face, along the way. The whole game is very much designed around the conservation principles of the RSPB.
All parts are in great condition and hardly used, if at all. The only problem is that I can't find any reference to the game at all, or the manufacturer, in any of the resources we normally use! Has anyone ever come across this or is there a record in an archive somewhere? Any thoughts appreciated! Thanks, Clive.
That sounds fantastic - I want one! If you're able to share any photos I'd love to see them
Hello Chris and welcome to the forum.
I wonder after seeing the posted photos, apart from the playing cards themselves, the green and red cards are almost Monopoly style cards from the 'Chance' and 'Community Chest' cards.
A long shot, and a very wild guess, I wonder if there are any connections to the big board game company, Waddingtons?
Whatever, as you say, they're in good condition.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
Yes, the cards would be used randomly in a similar way to the Monopoly cards. Broadly the same era, with Monopoly being launched in the 1930s. I can't be sure if there is any connection with Waddington's, though, as I just can't find any trace of this maker.
Lunchtime today, I was chatting to someone I know in my local surgery about old board games, stuff from our childhood days and no longer available, not that yours was mentioned. What was said, a lot of companies released provisional ideas for board games pre-WWII of which a great many never saw the light of day.
I'm wondering if your board/card game is one such victim. If that is the case, it would be wise to treasure it, and locate a real antiques valuer rather than any old one from the street and get it valued properly, someone you can trust and won't fleece you.
Thanks for the reply. That's an interesting possibility. Fortunately, we work in the antiques and collectables business so we have some good resources for valuation however, when something is probably unique, it is almost impossible to put a price on it, and is ultimately only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. It doesn't follow that rarity equates to value though and it may well be that the historic value of this is far more than any financial value!
You're welcome.
I'm not an antiques expert, and yes, you're right, rare doesn't always mean valuable. I have seen people getting fleeced with rare items, even if not valuable at the time.
Good luck with the board/card game, even if there's no current financial value, memories are priceless, particularly if someone close to you, or a family member has some involvement.