Hello there,
Could anybody give me a hand naming this typeface that's used as the body font for Monopoly? Anybody who can name it ill be eternally grateful! Its a difficult one to chase up.
It has very distinct 'W's and '2's
Here's a copy of a title deed where its used:
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Kabel.
Specifically, ITC Kabel.
Was Kabel always used for Monopoly? I know the game came out during the depression, and Kabel was designed in the 20s, so that is possible. But the ITC cut didn't come until the 70s, and I played the game before that time. Were the cards of my youth in a different face?
I'm sure I've got a set that's older than the 70s at home. I'll fish it out after work & have a look.
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Ever since I chose to block pop-ups, my toaster's stopped working.
Looks like it showed up in 1991, if I'm decoding this site correctly:
http://www.monopoly-history.com/deeds.php
A great image of the 1936 cover here...
My recollection is that they used the original version of Kabel in older sets.
This is a card from the 1936 game. Not a great image, but clearly not Kabel.
Yeah James ... I seemed to remember that it was a serif face. Wasn't sure though. Now, why are you playing Monopoly when you should be working?
:)
I haven't played Monopoly in years. I think the last time I played my mother was still alive. That was a long time ago!
Here are cards from sometime between 1936 and 1991:
I'm sure these were what I was remembering. It's Futura, though, not Kabel.
Ah, and looking at John Nolan's link, it appears that Futura was used from 1957 to the late eighties.
The name "Monopoly" on the box seems pretty Kabel-istic even i the 1934 (pre-Parker Brothers) editions:
http://www.monopoly-history.com/darrow.php
My 1960s set seems to be in Gill Sans throughout:
thanks everyone! very helpful and interesting posts. Interesting that they changed the face several times. Why choose Futura or Gill Sans when you have Kabel? Ill have to check when my set was made
Perhaps "where" as well as "when". Mark's and James' pics are from American versions, mine from the British... and of course Gill Sans was for many years the default choice for practically everything in the UK. I bet if I fish out my old Scrabble set, the rules inside the box lid'll be in Gill there too...
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Ever since I chose to block pop-ups, my toaster's stopped working.
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