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Number of versions: 5
Edition: April 27, 2002
Updated: December 1, 2010
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With thanks to Paul Norton - UK and Lýður
Pálsson (museum curator) - IS for their support.
Iceland was part of Denmark, but is an independant republic since 1944. That
is why this island still has strong bonds with Denmark, what is a.o. shown by
the typical edition called Matador. However, the question is where its
precursor Milljóner was invented, in Denmark or Iceland or Norway
perhaps?
It was not until 1997 Parker Brothers/Hasbro also introduced their version
"ref.14535" with of course the streets of the island's capital Reykjavík.
< Advertisement from the daily Alþýðublaðið of 20-Des-1939.
Oldest mention of Miljóner (Matador), by the
"New Toyfactory" in Reykjavik.
Thómas V.Albertsson, a Folkloristic from Iceland,
recently informed me about the following poem, used to promote the Matador game
in the days before Christmas 1939:
The poem goes like this:
Matador
er yndis afl.
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Matador is joyful power
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Allir spila Matador
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Everyone plays Matador
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Matador er tigið tafl
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Matador is a royal game
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Teflum bara Matador!
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Just play Matador |
The spaces of the Hasbro edition from 1997 are from BYRJUN
onwards:
Rofabær
- Samfélagssjóður - Hraunbær
- Tekjuskattur
borgaðu - Flugleiðir
- Funafold
- Áhætta
- Funafold
- Áhætta (=
Chance) - Logafold - Fannafold
- Fangelsi/Bara í Heimsókn - Stórhöfði
- Rafmagnsveita Reykjavíkur (= Reykjavik Electric
Company) - Höfðabakki
- Bídshöfði - Nýherji - Lyngháls -=
Reykjavik Water Works) borgaðu
(= Super tax) and Kringlan.
Because there are no
railway stations on Iceland anymore, the station spaces now show resp.:
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Iceland's
air line Flugleiðir.
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one of the largest IT-Service-Providers Nýherji. |
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the insurance company Vátryggingafélag Íslands
Hf.
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the Bank of Iceland Íslandsbanki. |
Edition: Milljóner
Publisher: Nýa Leikfangagerðin, sími 3749 (The new toy
factory, tel. 3749)
Skólavörðustíg 18 (in Reykjavík) - ±1940
Dimensions of the game board: 45 x 45 cm
The game:
This edition is property of and shown under nr.B.Arn. 1971 in the Húsíð
- Folk Museum "The House of Merchants"
in Eyrarbakki, Iceland.
Lýður Pálsson tells about it:
"This set was used in the farm Galtastadir in the Gaulverjabær district. It
is most probably issued around 1940 and it cannot be younger than from 1944,
because it is known it was played by children who were
born 1925 - 1935. "
From Lagt af Stað (Begin) onwards the
other 39 numbered spaces are resp.:
Fjölnisvegur - Freistið
Gæfunnar (Surprise) Garðarsstræti
- Fangelsi
( - Borgið 10% Tekjuskatt eða
200 Kr - Freistið Gæfunnar -
Blái borðinn veghúsastíg - Vesturgata
- Fríkirkjuvegur - Nýja
Leikfangagerðin - Hafnarstræti
- Túngata - Kexverksmiðjan
Frön - Sîlvellir - Liverpool
- Sjafnargata - Freistið
Gæfunnar - Bankastræti
- Tjarnargata - Sundhöll (= Swimming
pool)
- Pósphússtræti - Tryggvagata
- S.Í.S. - Freistið Gæfunnar - Laugavegur
- Ölg. Egill Skalla Grímss.
- Asturstræti
- Skólavörðustígur
- Fatabúðin - Bankastræti - Freistið Gæfunnar
- Aðalstræti
- Borgið
Aukaútsvar (Pay extra tax) - Eimskip - Austurvöllur
- Freistið Gæfunnar and Lækjartorg.
The spaces are in a circle over the solid game board, the background of which
is green. There is an illustration outside
the circle in each corner: a red car next to
Begin - a puppet built of wooden rings and the word Uppeldisleikföng (=
educational play toys), on
top of the manufacturer's address - the exterior of the swimmingpool of number
21 and a building next to number 31 (= Fatabúðin).
There are only 7 colored groups of properties, and there are two
Bankastræti (on nr. 19 and 32). This is the only set so far I've met in
which there are 2 of the same street. I have no explanation for that.
There is no castle for the most expensive street, like in the Norwegian
edition.
Features of this issue are:
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The 10% Tax field is on space 6 instead of 5 on the later Monopoly sets and has a colored
bar. |
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The Jail is on space 5 instead of 11. The rascal stands behind 6
bars. |
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There are no stations or equivalent spaces. Instead the spaces nr. 8 -14 - 28 and 37
are stores and factories. |
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The spaces 11 and 31 with
black arrow (= symbol for Iceland's "white coal") represent
suppliers of electricity. |
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There is only one type of cards, being the red
Freistið Gæfunnar (= Surprise) cards that can be drawn
on 7 spaces of the game board. This is remarkable because in the Parker
Brothers Monopoly editions are 3 Chance spaces and also 3 Community Chest
spaces, so altogether 6. One of these cards says:
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Due to the King's birthday you are pardoned - you may
keep this
card until you can use it or sell it to someone else. (= instead of
"Get out of Jail free".) |
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The banknotes are neutral and their currency is Kronor. The 5
denominations are resp.: 1 - 5 -
10 - 50
and 100. So without a 500 Kr note. |
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The tokens are 6 pawns,
which are made of dull wood, like the houses and hotels.
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Edition:
Matador
Publisher: Inland manufacturer Kassagerðin
- ±1970
Dimensions of the box: 23 x 44.7 cm
The game:
Despite the great resemblance with the Danish game a great difference is
obvious. On the red lid is only the word Matador,
without the illustration of a hand towing 4 rods connected to a boat, hotel,
works and an apartment building (see Denmark).
On the soft gameboard with green
playside are the 40 numbered spaces in a circle. The fold goes through
the vertical word Matador in the centre of the board. The streets are from the
capital Reykjavík.
The spaces are from Birjid hér onwards:
Reynimelur - Freistid Gæfunnar - Vídemelur
- Greidid 10% Eignaskatt eda 2000 - Flugfél Ísl. - Sólvallagata
- Freistid Gæfunnar - Hofsvallag - Hávallagata
- Fangelsi - Sjafnargata - Hitaveitan
- Fjölnisvegur - Laufásvegur
- Samvinnutr - Barónstígur - Freistid
Gæfunnar - Skólavördus - Hringbraut
- Pér Vinnid 1000 I happor - Gardastr.
- Freistid Gæfunnar - Túngata - Vesturgata
- Loftleidir - Hverfisgata - Laugavegur
- Rafmagnsv - Lækjargata - Í
fangelsi - Adalstræti - Hafnarstr.
- Freistid Gæfunnar - Pósthússtr.
- Sjóvá - Freistid Gæfunnar - Bankastr.
- Greidid 1000 aukaútsvar and Austurstr.
Comparison of this Matador edition with the earlier
issued Milljóner shows:
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Different expressions for Go. |
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Milljóner has 7 Freistið Gæfunnar fields whereas Matador
only has 6. |
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All amounts are 10 times higher in Milljóner. |
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The Jail is on space nr. 5 in Milljóner while on nr. 11 in Matador. |
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Both editions have only 14 streets in common, while Milljóner
has another 7 streets and Matador 9. |
The only 25 yellow "Chance"
cards still stick together on one sheet and hence they have to be detached.
All banknotes have the same pattern and are in 6 denominations: 10 -
50
- 100 - 500
- 1000 and 5000.
The tokens are 6 small plastic cars. The green,
plastic houses and red hotels
are hollow.
Both dice are black with gold pips.
Some remarkable differences between this Icelandic game and the Danish
edition are:
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Space nr. 1 only shows a red
line while Birjid hér is outside the space in the
gameboard's green. |
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The ? on the 6 Chance-spaces is black, while those of the
Danish board are white on a black
background. |
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In Iceland the rascal sits, or better stands in jail (space 11); in
the Danish edition he comfortably sits on a bench outside the circle
of spaces. |
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The spaces 6 - 16 - 26 and 36 show aviation subjects, where there are ferryboat companies in the Danish
edition. |
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Spaces 13 (works with steam-plume) and 29 (electricity pylons) obviously
deal with electricity, where the Danish edition only promotes resp.Tuborg and Coca
Cola. |
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Space 21 is not Free Parking now although outside the circle of
spaces is a car in front of a road sign. |
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The "Go to Jail"-space (31) shows a put up hand and
outside the circle is a fast leaving car. |
This Matador edition is also shown under nr.B.Arn. 2165 in the earlier mentioned Húsíð
- Folk Museum
The set in the red box was bought in August 1975 for IKr 645.- in the bookshop BÓKABÚÐ
MM in Reykjavik.
Edition:
Standard, ref. 14535.182
Publisher: Parker Brothers/Hasbro Nordic Denmark -1997
Dimensions of the box: 26.8 x 40.3 x 5.3 cm
of the folded game board: 25.2 x 25.2 cm
The game:
This is the first Hasbro issue in Iceland. Only the 3 properties of the yellow
group can be found again in the older games described here above.
In this so well-known "standard" box is of course the red plastic "banker's
tray" with holes for the 7 banknotes and property deeds still present with
the banker.
The game board is folded in four and fits, when stored, precisely on the banker's tray. The back of the board is as usual red,
the playside is blue green. This
edition is made in Ireland and therefore it shows the picture of
the "laughing family" at the bottom of the box.
On the game board the Áhætta
cards with nice red
back are as usual near the BYRJUN
corner while the Samfélagssjóður
cards with their nice blue back
are near the Free Parking corner.
The banknotes are of the one side printed new model, i.e. with
a black Monopoly ribbon and Uncle Pennybags (since 2000 it is officially
Mr. Monopoly) in the upper part of the circle and,
almost invisible, the remark "1996 Tonka Corporation" at the bottom. The currency is
Kr. and the denominations are resp.: 100
- 500 - 1.000
- 2.000 - 5.000
-10.000 and 50.000.
The 10 tokens are of light metal and are the well-known: hat -
shoe - car - boat - dog - wheelbarrow - rider-on-a-horse - thimble - iron and
canon. The green houses
and red hotels
are of not transparant plastic and have all an overhanging roof with an
excentric chimney.
Both dice are white with black pips.
The price of this set was IKr. 3990.- (± € 45.-) June 2001.
Edition:
Standard, squaire box, ref. 040700009182
Publisher: Parker Brothers/Hasbro
Nordic Denmark - April 2007
Parker/Hasbro are
always worldwide standardizing their games (because of which they become the
less interesting
for collectors, to my opinion). Since about 2001, both the Standard editions,
both the rectangular and square
boxes in all countries got number 9, the number valid for all American
standard editions since the early 1935 issues.
The
performance of this new issue is characterized by:
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The illustration on the lid is
provided with a somewhat cheap looking red
rim.
In the
upper right corner of the lid is a yellow
spot showing the text saying "Test
the rules for the
shorter version of the game!".
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There are only 4 spaces of the 4th
side of the game board, showed in perspective, with 1
house, 1 hotel,
still the hat and the racing car as well as both white dice, however now with
4 and 3 instead of 3
and 5 like in the edition 14535 from 1997. |
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The perspective red
Monopoly bar with its nice shadow effect and Mr.Monopoly with red
bow tie (till 2000 he was called Rich Uncle
Pennybags) that is on the lid, the game board's midfield as well on
all 4 sides of the innerbox. |
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The bottom of the box no longer
shows the "laughing family" but an explanation on this
Fasteignaspilið (Real Estate Game), with next
to
the barcode the Hasbro logo and the Parker-spiral
in black. Next to it is an image of the board with
all attributes.
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It is strange that in this edition some new properties are
introduced. (The underlined fields are unchanged.)
The properties are now from BYRJUN onwards:
Bárugata
- Samfélagssjóður -
Brávallagata - Tekjuskattur
borgaðu - BSÍ Umferðar-Midstöðin
- Kaldalind
- Áhætta (Kans) -
Jöklalind - Haukalind
- Fangelsi/Bara í Heimsókn - Stórhöfði
- Rarik - Höfðabakki
- Bídshöfði - Egilsstada-Flugvöllur
- Lyngháls - Samfélagssjóður -
Fossháls - Krókháls
- Frítt stæði
- Ármúli
- Áhætta - Síðumúli
- Suðurlandsbraut
- Akureyrar Flugvöllur - Bankastræti
- Austurstræti
- Orkveita Reykjavíkur -
Laugavegur
- Farðu í fangelsi
- Mávanes - Haukanes
- Samfélagssjóður - Blikanes
- Leifsstüð
- Áhætta - Smáralind
- Fjármagnsjuskattur borgaðu
and
Kringlan.
The banker's tray
of this standard edition is red
again and has slots for all 7 banknotes and the property deeds still
with the banker.
The board is folded in four and fits, when stored, precisely on
the banker's tray.The back of the board is black and that of
the playing side is blue green.
On the board the Áhætta cards with red
back and ?, are as usual next to the Start
corner and the Samfélagssjóður
cards with their blue back
and treasury next to the Free Parking corner.The cards (56x87 mm) do not have
rounded corners.The texts on both cards are printed in red.
The property deeds (56x87 mm) do not have rounded corners.
The banknotes (52x100 mm) are printed single-sided. Up in the
circle on the banknote is a black ribbon containing "MONOPOLY with Mr.Monopoly".
At the bottom of this circle is in lowercase "©2001 Hasbro Inc.". The
currency is Kr
and the values of the 7 banknotes are resp.: 100
- 500
-1.000 - 2.000
- 5.000 - 10.000
and 50.000 (ref.100 00009 00A0).
The 10 tokens are of light metal and are the well-known:
top hat - shoe - car - boat - dog - wheelbarrow - rider-on-a-horse - thimble -
iron and canon.
The houses and hotels
are of opaque plastic and all have an overhanging roof as well as an off-center
chimney.
Both dice are white and have black pips.
The price of this edition was in october 2010 IKR 5.199 (€
33,75).
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