Even though most people are playing internet bingo these days, bingo has been played at churches and bingo halls since the mid 1920’s. At one time bingo was a very popular board game that was played in homes on both sides of the Atlantic. Nostalgia for the old bingo board game has led many who remember evenings before television when the family would gather to play games to seek out old bingo and other board games. Some of these old bingo games can fetch a tidy sum from collectors. Currently ‘Little rascals’ bingo games from the early 1950’s sell for $120 dollars to $200 for one in mint condition. Collectors find old bingo games at garage sales, local flea markets and thrift stores. One collector says that old bingo games are easy to find simple because there were so many of them. One bingo game particularly sought after is the pocket size bingo games that were marketed as “Perfect Gifts for the Men in Service” during World War Two. Most of these older bingo games come with a spinning wheel, bingo cards and score keeping equipment. Bingo games of the 1930’s were sometimes marketed using the names of well known movie and radio personalities.
Bingo daubers are also sought after collectibles. Bingo players can be fanatical about their bingo daubers and in some cases use them as talismans for ‘good luck.’ Almost every bingo player has their ‘lucky’ dauber. An Elvis Presley bingo dauber from the 50’s and 60’ can fetch a pretty penny at online auctions. Elvis bingo daubers can be found at online auction sites like EBay. ‘Uncle Sam’ bingo daubers are common but fun to collect nonetheless and are usually inexpensive. Presidential bingo daubers are a recent development but are sure to become valuable collectibles as time goes on and administrations change. There are Obama daubers, George W Bush daubers and even Clinton daubers available for purchase. Holiday themed daubers are also collected and there are many colorful Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving bingo daubers with a wide variety of colors and illustrations.
Antique bingo equipment is also considered collectible. Old bingo cages and balls are collected by many bingo historians. Some collect old slot machines including antique bingo machines. Some of these can be pricey; for example a 1975 Bally Tahiti Bingo Pinball machine sells for about $1,200 dollars. Other antique bingo machines sell for $200 to $1,500 and are avidly sought by collectors. Bingo has a long and colorful history and old bingo games bring back pleasant memories for many, especially now since most people play bingo online. One of the many exciting things about online bingo today is the number of different bingo promotions and bingo bonuses that are being offered. A person can do a lot of searching online to find the best deals, along with unique bingo games.
