Pit Card Game, Bull and Bear Edition

Description:

Parker Brothers developed The Pit card game in 1904, with this Bull and Bear edition dating between 1912 and 1915. Pit is a fast paced card game simulating the open outcry bidding system of the commodity exchange used at the Chicago Board of Trade which was known as the “Pit.” The original game consisted of seven commodities—wheat (100 points), barley (85 points), corn (75 points), rye (70 points), oats (60 points), hay (50 points) and flax (40 points)—which players would exchange until one player held nine cards of the same commodity and announced they have “a corner” on the market. The player gets the points for that commodity; doubling their points they hold the Bull, while the player holding the Bear loses 20 points. The game is played until a player reaches a set amount of points. Like many early 19th century games such as “Monopoly” or “Life,” Pit introduces children to modern American society in a fun and exciting way, bringing a small lesson into a youngster’s playtime.

Location: Currently not on view (instruction sheet 2)

See more items in: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life, Cultures & Communities, American Enterprise

Exhibition: American Enterprise

Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

Credit Line: Dr. Mary Eloise Green and Earle M. and Jewell S. Green

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 1986.0814.11Accession Number: 1986.0814Catalog Number: 1986.814.11

Object Name: game, card

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a1-32b0-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_323758

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