Collection Scope and Content Note

Punchboards; also a small amount of manuscript material such as manufacturers' catalogs, manufacturers' trade cards, direct mail advertising, fliers, photographs, and collector's correspondence. The punchboards vary in size, type, and theme; approximately 700 are standard punchboards used as gambling devices or games of chance and in later years are marked "for amusement only"; the balance of the collection consists of ticket spindles, pushcards, pulltabs, ticket games, jar games, display boards, magnetic roulette, turkey boards, and coin operated or slot machine games of chance.

Prizes range from 5 cents to one hundred dollars, and also include items such as candy, toys, harmonicas, coins, and watches. The collection includes approximately one hundred headers, or graphic material affiliated with punchboards but lacking the grid of holes. The punchboards are highly graphic; predominant themes include women, sports, the military, cigarettes, gambling, and animals.