Thursday Thirteen: 1970s PayDay Deals

Payday came out in the 1970s, and saw a brief burst in popularity; it was a pretty standard move-pay-move-earn game, with similar buying/borrowing/earning methods as Monopoly. It had two sets of cards: one, cards representing mail -- could be bills, could be a postcard -- and there were the Deal cards: similar to Monopoly properties, these were purchased, then sold for profit if a buyer was found. The Deal cards were my favorite: they were excellent examples of 1970s popular illustration style, full of balloony curves, wiggly lines, and watercolory washes created by illustration pens and markers. Here's Thirteen (there were only a couple more): Quick-Food Franchise Pros: Get to wear a paper hat. Cons: Standing outside; Getting health code citations. Image: Classy, but the umbrella is too small, unless the only citation is to keep the sun off the buns. John Smith's Autograph Pros: It's the John Smith - you know how rarely he gave out autographs? Cons: Who the heck cares about John Smith's John Hancock? Image: GAH! John Smith -- he's invisible! His curly 'S' is awfully charming for a disembodied spirit, though. 800lbs Copper Pipe Pros:The price of copper has gone through the freakin' roof -- $300 is a steal; 800lbs should be worth a couple thousand bucks on today's market. Cons: Where does a 800lb pile of scrap metal sit? Wherever it's at, 'cuz you ain't gonna move it on your own. Image: It looks more like hollow logs: check for badgers first. Stamp Collection Pros:Easy to transport; gives air of sophistication. Cons: Only nerds collect stamps, you nerd. Image: They shouldn't have left their stamp collection out in the rain. Used Sports Car Pros:Cool guys drive sportscars. Cons: That giant band-aid on the car's butt ain't gonna get chicks. Image: Hilariously 'used' -- this is one of my favorite cards. The missing tooth, the mismatched colors, it looks like it went three rounds with George Forman. Family Camper Pros: Fresh air in the great outdoors is good for you. Cons: You accidentally bought the bear-attracting model of camper. Count the kids. Image: The cranky bear is excellent -- note you can't see its feet. That bear is riding on the camper. Coin Collection Pros: Less nerdy than stamps. Cons: You know half will end up on the traintracks smooshed flat before the summer is over. Image: More detail than the stamps; they actually look coiny! Two Acres, Vacationland Pros: You have a place for your camper's bear to run free. Cons: Wal-Mart needs a place to build. Hello eminent domain! Image: Done in a very seventies-ish illustration style that's still emulated today, like this litter sign. Antique Auto Pros: More valuable than a used sportscar. Cons: Those flowers are actually growing up through the floorboards. Image: More of that great seventies style -- I'd pay $350 for a car like that. Bottle Collection Pros: There's actually bottle collectors who'll trade their grandma for one of these. Cons: You'll experience an event worthy of a classic movie; sadly, it will be reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy, starting at the top of the stairs and ending up in the emergency room. Image: While the image isn't exciting, it really does give the feel of old, collectible bottles -- and that transparency is excellent. Unclaimed Furniture Pros: You can actually make a buttload of money on reselling unclaimed shipments. Cons: That furniture was abandoned for a really good reason. Image: Huge pink stars on the upholstery -- how can you lose? Tractor Pros: Green Acres is the place to be! Cons: No electric starter. Shout out to my farmin' homies who know what I mean. Image: Now that's a tractor -- it's made up of so many non-tractory shapes, yet it does so well. I'm not sure what it is, but this image is so close to being a doodle in my phonebook, yet I don't go 'ick'. Share Of A Race Horse Pros: Drinking and betting and horsies? Sign me up! Cons: If you're only putting in $700, you're given overalls and a shovel. Get to work. Image: I absolutely love this drawing -- the rest of the images are sad, broken, old -- this racehorse is happy, he's got the winning mantle, and he's running so fast his feet don't touch the ground. The picture is absolutely dripping with style, and I love it. Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants