Hi Jillian,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Few board games have had the cultural impact of Monopoly. Since its introduction during the Great Depression in the 1930s, it has become one of the most recognizable games in the world and a powerful symbol of capitalism, wealth, competition, and the American Dream. When Parker Brothers released Monopoly nationally in 1935, many Americans were struggling financially. The opportunity to imagine becoming a wealthy real-estate tycoon proved enormously appealing.

Monopoly's central premise—buying property, collecting rent, building houses and hotels, and driving competitors into bankruptcy—made it a popular way for generations of players to engage with concepts of real estate investment, wealth accumulation, competition, negotiation, and risk and reward.

As a result, the game became shorthand for discussions about capitalism itself. References to "playing Monopoly" often appear in politics, economics, and popular culture whenever issues of wealth concentration or corporate dominance are discussed.

Monopoly has been translated into dozens of languages and adapted for hundreds of cities, universities, sports teams, movies, and brands.

For much of its history, Monopoly was manufactured and published in Salem, Massachusetts, because that was the home of Parker Brothers. The company was headquartered in Salem, and after acquiring the rights to Monopoly in 1935, it began producing the game there.

At the height of Monopoly's popularity during the Great Depression, Parker Brothers was producing tens of thousands of copies per week in Salem. Many vintage Monopoly boxes bear the imprint "Parker Brothers, Salem, Mass.", which collectors often use to help date editions. When Parker Brothers ceased operations in Salem after its acquisition by Hasbro, a special 1991 "Last Edition Published in Salem, Massachusetts" Monopoly was issued in a limited run.

According to www.worldofmonopoly.com, "In 1991, Hasbro took over Kenner who owned Parker Bros, and before the end of the year, they closed the original Salem, MA plant. To commemorate the company going out of business, the President, Mr. John Moore had a limited edition of 650 Monopoly games made for only his employees. He personally signed each one and presented the games to his employees as a parting gift upon their arrival to the going away party. It says on the box 'Last edition Published in Salem, Massachusetts" which sets it apart from all the other games. What the box doesn't say is that this whole game was assembled by management. Some parts are different from the regular monopoly game. As Parker Brothers was bought by Hasbro the factory in Salem-MA was closed and moved to East Longmeadow-MA. We printed an edition that was only given to each of the 650 employees. Special in this issue is: Along the top front of the standard box with ref.nr.0009 it reads 'Last Edition Published in Salem, Massachusetts.' The board has all the signatures of each employee as a printed font on it.There is a gold Uncle Pennybags token inside. The hotels and houses are blue and grey. There is a gold seal on the box stating: MONOPOLY - Limited Edition - November 1, 1991. Signature of John Moore, the President".

I don't see what the number of that edition this example is but another shrink-wrapped example from this edition that sold at auction realized $425 against an estimate of $600-800 when sold in 2023 (https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/rare-monopoly-limited-edition-board-game-by-parke-210-c-35642c9ba0?).

Given the rarity of this item, a reasonable estimate would be $500-700, though it could sell for a little less. It's worth noting that items offered for sale online, by private sellers or game retailers, would likely be priced with a higher retail price.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia