• Discover the History of Classic Board Games

• Explore Classic Board Games

• Find Classic Board Games on eBay

• Buy Classic Board Games with Confidence

Discover the History of Classic Board Games

Discover the History of Classic Board Games

In the 20th century, the rise of the American middle class led to the popularization of board games. Two of America’s top game manufacturers, Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers, developed a large number of board games that have since become classics, treasured by millions of American families.

Classic games time line

1860 Milton Bradley starts a lithography business

1867 Parcheesi appears

1883 Parker Bros.’ George S. Parker publishes Banking

1901 Tiddly Winks appears

1934 Sorry!

1935 Monopoly

1948 Scrabble

1949 Clue and Candyland

1956 Yahtzee

1959 Risk

1960 The Game of Life

1965 Operation

1966 Twister

1967 Battleship

1974 Connect Four

1978 Hungry Hungry Hippos

1982 Trivial Pursuit

1986 Jenga

1990 Taboo

Explore Classic Board Games

Explore Classic Board Games

These classic board games released by companies like Hasbro, Parker Brothers, and Milton Bradley are a part of households nationwide.

• Monopoly: Monopoly is the most widely-played commercial game in the world. In Monopoly, players compete to build up their wealth and acquire property. Each player rolls the dice to move around the board, purchasing real estate and paying rent to other players along the way. Monopoly is available in a virtually limitless number of themes from Disney Monopoly to Star Wars Monopoly, Yankees Monopoly to Red Sox Monopoly; and geographic locations, such as Chicago Monopoly and New York City Monopoly. Vintage Monopoly sets are easy to find on eBay. Because of their availability, even vintage sets from the 1930s are a great deal! These sets feature wooden houses and much more.

• Clue: Clue is a murder-mystery board game in which each player takes on the persona of a character within Mr. Boddy’s Tudor mansion. Players name a suspect, location, and murder weapon in order to solve the crime. Three to six players can play Clue.

• Risk: Play Risk on a board that depicts a political world map. Two to six players compete in this turn-based strategy war board game. Other versions of Risk include Risk 2210, Castle Risk, and Risk: Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition.

• Scrabble: Scrabble is a word board game played on a 15 x 15 square board. Two to four players arrange letters on the board to form words. Players attempt to get the highest score by creating words with high point values. Each letter has a different point value, and bonus-point squares on the game board add to the strategy.

• Stratego: Stratego is a two-player game that simulates a battle between opposing armies. A player moves pieces with different military ranks into his opponent’s battlefield in an effort to capture his flag. But if the player attacks a piece with a higher rank, or stumbles across a bomb, he loses his game piece. The game ends when a player captures his opponent’s flag or loses all his game pieces.

• Boggle: Boggle is a word game played with letter cubes that are shaken, like dice, to display random letters. Players have three minutes to arrange the letters into words.

• The Game of Life: The Game of Life uses automobile-shaped pieces to move across the game board. Players spin a dial and move the specified number of spaces. The player with the most money at the end wins. Two to 10 players can join in.

• Twister: Spin the dial and place your hands and feet on a coloured circle. In Twister, you find yourself and other players on the board in precarious positions, making this a great party game.

Find Classic Board Games on eBay

Find Classic Board Games on eBay

Once you know what type of classic board game you want, go to the Toys & Hobbies portal, click Games, and start searching for item listings on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You’ll find links for Traditional Board Games, Electronic Games, Role Playing Games, and more. As you dig deeper into the site you’ll also be able to narrow down your choice by brand.

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find Scrabble, type “Scrabble” (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click “Search title and description” to expand your results. Visit eBay’s Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can’t find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Classic Board Games with Confidence

Buy Classic Board Games with Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to C$1,250.

• eBay Security & Resolution Centre: Visit the Security & Resolution Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.