Tabletop Baseball Games Of The Golden Era

Tabletop Baseball Games Of The Golden Era

In the 1920’s a baseball star delighted youngsters at the American Toy Fair in New York City. He was clad in a business suit with a fresh flower in his lapel.

Walter Johnson proceeded to unveil the “next best to the real game.” The Walter Johnson Base Ball Game came in a colorful box with Johnson’s signature stamp. The game is played by spinning a metal top that has play results engraved on 20 sides. Outcomes are: 1 home run, 1 triple, 1 double, 2 singles, 3 infield outs, 2 fly outs, 1 sacrifice fly out, 1 double play, 1 error, 1 stolen base, 3 balls, 2 strikes and 1 foul. Metal coins with Johnson’s image are used as runners and to keep track of outs, strikes, balls and runs in boxes at the bottom of the diamond. The game also includes scoresheets with Walter Johnson’s photo in a circle.

A number of other Golden Age stars endorsed table-top baseball games. In 1919, Pat Moran’s Own Ball Game honored Cincinnati’s world’s champion manager (beat the Black Sox). Moran says in his letter printed on the box top that this game will teach inside and scientific playing of the game and anyone will enjoy it as much as he does. Baseball lessons come from 9 spinners that apply to game situations.

Around 1914, Parker Brothers created a game based on cards with 8 play results (out at first, fly out, infield hit, etc.) with Nap Lajoie’s photo (red and blue editions) on the back of each card.

The Waner’s Baseball Game debuted in 1927 with cool photos of brothers Paul and Lloyd on the top.

Leslie’s Baseball Game was first sold for $1.00 in 1913 with games played in the window of a department store during the World Series between the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Giants. Besides an 11” x 14” playing board, the game centered on 84 playing cards of game situations and included wooden pawns to represent players and umpires.

Christie Mathewson called it “the most wonderful and interesting ball game before the public." Ty Cobb said: "Mr. Leslie, you have a fortune in this game. I never played a game that was as scientific and mathematically correct, and where 9 innings could be played in 10 to 12 minutes, bringing out every feature of the game." The game instructions even suggested that 8 persons form a league and play a season according to the actual schedule!