It is one of only 5,000 game sets ever produced and it is said to be the last surviving example in existence. The circa 1933 game set of circular oilcloth measures 33 inches in diameter with hand-painted squares highlighting streets, avenues, and railroad depots was produced by the hand of Charles Darrow. In February 2011, one of the earliest versions of the Monopoly board game sold for a whopping 90,000 pounds (about $142,700 at this week's exchange rates) in the United Kingdom.

Monopoly is licensed in 80 countries and produced in 26 languages. Today, Monopoly is the most-played commercial board game in the world. Monopoly was first marketed by Parker Brothers in 1935. However, the company heads changed their minds and purchased the rights to the game. Initially, Parker Brothers rejected the game, citing that it was too complicated to play and took too long to complete a game. With a playing board that suggested street names from the city of Atlantic City, N.J., Monopoly has become a part of the American experience. The game evolved in and around the cities of Germantown and Reading, Pa., and over time, the game was offered for sale by Charles Darrow. The Monopoly game was originally used as a teaching tool at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business to educate students about the world of finance and buying/selling real-estate holdings. Times have changed so it's time for some new tokens. The Scottie dog was a symbol of politics as suggested by President Roosevelt's favorite canine of the breed. For instance, apparently women typically selected the thimble token and farmers took to the wheelbarrow. Back then, players selected tokens based on their jobs or cultural relationships. Those player tokens harken back to the early days of Monopoly and demonstrate the culture of America in the 1920s-'30s. The eight classic Monopoly game pieces include the race car, thimble, shoe, Scottie dog, battleship, top hat, iron and wheelbarrow. Based on player votes cast at Facebook, one of the original tokens will soon be cast aside, and a new token will be chosen. Hasbro Games, the maker of Monopoly, recently announced that the line-up of beloved player tokens will be enhanced by a new updated token.

Monopoly board game original name