Token gestures for playing Monopoly

So when you're playing Monopoly, the board game, which token do you choose and why? I have a theory that the choice of token says something about people.

It was something I was discussing with a friend, Jerry Harrison, over lunch today in Le Beaujolais, a cozy little wine bar in Litchfield Street just up the road from the Ivy. Jerry once taught me how to break a walnut with my forehead, a rarely used but welcome skill.

Girlie iron

Serendipitously we were sitting next to Reg Starkey, another friend, who had first introduced me to Le Beaujolais. I'm not sure why, but we got to talking about Monopoly tokens and it was soon clear that we all had firm opinions. I can't remember Jerry's choice, I think it was the battleship, but he very pointedly said he would never choose the flat iron because it was too "girlie."

Reg said his choice was always the top hat, reflecting, perhaps, an identification with the bourgeoisie which is very un-Reg. My choice is always the boot. I like the boot because it reminds me of my working class roots.

"What, just one boot?" says Jerry.

"Yes, we didn't have much in those days," says I.

I asked another friend, Caroline Hole-Jones, about her choice and she said it was always the top hat "because it feels smooth and nice to touch with round rather than sharp edges. If the hat has gone then it's the dog because I love dogs."

Little handle

Later, back at home, I asked Gill which one she preferred and she said it was the iron "because it's flat, has a little handle, and I quite like moving it around."

I am so used to the six pieces: The top hat, the racing car, the battleship, the flat iron, the boot and the dog, that I was shocked when I consulted a book about Parker Brothers, the US makers of Monopoly and found that in the original set there were two more pieces: a thimble and a handbag, but no dog.

Apparently when Charles Brace Darrow, the inventor of the Monopoly game, put together the various components he suggested that tokens could be made from little items that might be found around the house, such as thimbles and buttons or the charms from charm bracelets. It was these charms that inspired the iconic metal counters.

Second choice

Do you have a favourite token? The most interesting thing about this exercise is that everyone I have canvassed so far does seem to have a favourite and everyone can articulate the reason behind their choice.

I'm quite unhappy if I don't get the boot but if someone else has grabbed it first I go for the racing car because, in my mind, at least, I imagine it racing around the board.

Waiting for Godot

The iron just doesn't do it for me, nor does the dog and nor does the top hat because that smacks of elitism and I hate any kind of elitism. The battleship too is an unpleasant reminder of gunboat diplomacy, colonialism and empire. I like the humble boot. You can do a lot with the boot. For a start it's made for walking. You can also use it to kick other tokens and you can stamp about with it. It reminds me of Samuel Beckett and that scene in Waiting for Godot where Estrogen is struggling with his boots. Yes it has to be the boot.

The psychology of the Monopoly token. Try it around the table the next time you have a dinner party. It's amazingly revealing.