the_eric•26d agoProlific Poster

Just found out how many board games are in the Library of Congress

I was looking up something else on their website and stumbled on a collection page. They have over 5,000 board games and card games in their archives, including some from the 1800s. I always thought they just had books and documents, not a whole section for Monopoly and chess sets. Has anyone else seen their game collection or know if you can view it?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.mason26d ago

I saw a video once where someone got to handle a super old board game from their collection, like a hand painted set from the 1700s. The library does have viewing rooms where you can ask to see specific items, but you need an appointment and a research reason. It's not like a museum exhibit you can just walk through, which is kind of a bummer. I'd love to see some of the early versions of games like Clue or Sorry, just to see how much they've changed.

sageadams26d ago

My cousin tried to get into a rare book room once by saying his "research" was to see if old maps were still fun to look at. They did not give him an appointment. I feel like "I want to see the old Sorry board because it looks cool" should be a valid enough reason for anyone. What's the worst that could happen, we have too much fun?

the_lucas26d ago

But are old board games really that fragile they can't handle a little curiosity?