New York
New York: Selchow & Righter. Very Good Plus. Paper. Circa 1870s word game with 72 pieces, each with a letter and part of a picture illustration one of twelve words (11 of the pieces have no letter and add to the width of the pictorial for the words "bridge" and "coach". The pieces, or "slices" as they are called, are 7.25 by 1.25 inches each. Several of the illustrations relate to specific New York City locations: St. Paul's Church between Vesey and Fulton Streets, the statue of Washington in Union Square, the High Bridge spanning the Harlem River, the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, and the "Stevens" House, which is a typical neo-Gothic pile such as once populated Fifth Avenue. It is quite conceivable that some of the other items too had a specific New York context, but I have not been able to establish that as yet. The words are: coach, yacht, boat, fort, house, fountain, bridge, car, dam, statue, engine, and church. All the illustrations have delightful color and would work well framed and hung on a wall. The box housing the pieces provides instructions for the game underneath the lid along with black and white illustrations of each object. All the pieces are present, and most are clean, with a few having some minor soilage. The box has the usual wear along edges and soilage of the top illustration. The box has had some repair, with one edge of the lid a slightly different color, but overall it has integrity as a box and if treated respectfully, should remain attractively so. The box measures 9 by 8 by 1 inch. Quite an extraordinary rare game with special interest for Gothamites.
(Inventory #: 001201)