Pit

According to Phil Orbanes in his book The Game Makers: The History of Parker Brothers, the game of Pit was the first million-seller in Parker Brothers’ history. George Parker bought the rights to the game in 1903 from Edgar Cayce, and rushed it into production to capitalize on the current popularity of Frank Norris’ book The Pit. Frank Norris (1870 – 1902) died a year before the 1903 publication of his novel which dealt with wheat speculation and the trading pits at the Chicago Board of Trade Building; this was the second book in what was to be the Epic of Wheat trilogy, the first work, published in 1901, being The Octopus. According to Wikipedia, Norris’s short story “A Deal in Wheat” (1903) and The Pit were the basis for the D.W. Griffith silent short film “A Corner in Wheat“ (1909), which tells of a greedy tycoon who tries to corner the world wheat market, destroying the lives of the people who can no longer afford to buy bread.

There have been many editions of this card game over since its inception, including one that came with a bell.

The best Pit cover (most others were pretty dull) was one drawn by John Held Jr., a popular illustrator through the Roaring Twenties.

According to the online Resource Library Magazine,“If ever an artist’s work so consummately defined a particular era, it was that of the Roaring Twenties illustrator John Held, Jr., whose creations both set the standard for – and gently ribbed – a generation.”

 

Winning Moves licensed the rights from Parker (Hasbro) several years ago and currently publishes three editions of this great card game.

Historian & collector Sy Epstein notes other games very similar games to PIT, including BOURSE (1903, Flinch Card Co.), COMMERCE (ca. 1900, Ottmann), EXCHANGE (1904, Selchow & Righter) and MARKET (1913, Anglo-American/Parker).