There are lots of different versions of Monopoly, but only one set in the world is made out of solid 18-karat gold. The set was created by San Francisco jeweler Sidney Mobell in 1988. When Mobell heard about a Monopoly tournament taking place in London he called Parker Brothers for permission to create a bejeweled, golden game. He worked on the masterpiece for a year straight.
The game is worth a lot more now than it was when Mobell created it, and not just because it is a unique work of art. When Mobell started working on the game set, an ounce of gold cost between $360 and $460 and ounce. Now the price of gold is more than $1,300 an ounce. The dice in Mobell’s Monopoly game alone are worth $10,000. Each of their number dots is a full-cut diamond – 42 in all. The properties on the board are also set with gems, there are 165 gemstones in total in the set.
When Mobell finished the game he brought it to London under heavy guard. He told the Wall Street Journal, “I felt like the king of England.” That tournament was the only time that the set has been played with.
Mobell, now 84, has made a career out of creating unconventional confections of gold and jewels. From diamond-encrusted yo-yos to solid gold sardine cans, cellphones and eyeballs, Mobell’s pieces are as odd as they are beautiful. Mobell has created several jeweled board games including backgammon, dominoes and chess sets.
The Monopoly board will be on display at the Museum of American Finance on Wall Street for two years, on loan from the Smithsonian.
