A Pair of Vintage Business-Themed Board Games, Waddingtons Speculate and Chainstore, c.1972

This lot comprises two vintage board games focused on the themes of commerce, finance, and corporate strategy. The first title is Speculate, a stock market simulation game produced by Waddingtons House of Games (John Waddington Ltd. of Leeds, England). The box features a 1972 copyright and is decorated with distinctive sepia-toned line art by artist Neil Macdonald, depicting a busy trading floor and city figures. The second title is Chainstore: The Highstreet Battle of Takeovers and Mergers, which features a colourful, stylised graphic of a retail storefront row. Both games are quintessential examples of the 1970s trend for sophisticated, adult-oriented board games based on real-world economic principles. The games are constructed from printed paper and cardboard.