A Sheaf of Wheat

Springfield, Massachusetts: Milton Bradley Co., (n. d.), circa 1900. 7-1/4 x 7-1/4 inch game board in same-sized box with lid, with two small wooden counters (one blue, one tan) and a small teetotum made of a wooden spinning piece with a spindle over which a paper hexagon printed with the numbers 1-6 has been inserted. Complete, as per the instructions printed inside the box lid. Board is stiff cardstock printed in b&w with yellow and blue ornamentation, b&w illustrations. Chromolithographed title label to most of box lid. Box slightly warped and toned, with splits to most edges, often reinforced with old tape; one apron of box lid lacking and replaced with a piece of plain cardboard; small sticker and pencil notation ("____ Christmas 96") to outside bottom panel of box. Light general wear to teetotum and board. Good.

A rare board game following the process by which wheat becomes a loaf of bread. Each player -- the game is designed for two players, but according to the instructions could be played with more -- begins on square number one, "The Farm," and progresses around the board by spinning the teetotum. Each square is named after a different part of the process, from "Plowing," "Seeding," "Reaping," and "Threshing," to "To Elevator" (bringing the grain to an elevator company), "Board of Trade," putting the grain on the "Grain Train" so it can get to "Duluth," then putting it on a "Lake Steamer" to "Buffalo," shipping it via the "Erie Canal," to a "Roller Mill," after which it gets sent to a "Wholesale Store," is baked at a "Bakery" and sent to a "Store," finally becoming the "Family Loaf" -- where the game ends. Along the way, players encounter setbacks that cause them to lose a turn, such as rain, "Hands Strike," "Thresher Breaks Down," "Elevator Company Fails," "Poor Prices," "Steamer Burns," and "Wheat Gets Wet." Interestingly, there is only one square whereby a player gets more turns: "Rumors of European War."

Although the pencil notation on the bottom of the box indicates it was given or received in 1896, we are unable to locate this game in Milton Bradley's catalogues for the years leading up to 1896, and in fact only find it in the catalogue for 1900-1901 (that said, the digitized records of Milton Bradley catalogues are incomplete).

All in all, a fascinating educational game, encompassing agriculture, food processing, economics, transportation, and culinary history.

Not held institutionally, per OCLC and online records.