8/10/2020
`
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`76 captures
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`2009 2011 2012
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
`Back to index of games pages by Donald Sauter.
`Visit my main Scrabble II for word lovers! page.
`
`Scrabble -
`Dating your classic Scrabble set,
`1948 - 1999
`
`As you know from my page dealing with changes to the box top Scrabble rules, I've picked up a bunch of standard Scrabble sets
`dating from the early 1950s to at least 1999.
`
`After reaching a "critical mass" of vintage Scrabble games, I got curious about the approximate time frame for when a given set rolled
`off the production line. I've always known that this wouldn't be easy; the two dates easily found on a Scrabble game tell us almost
`nothing about when the game was made.
`
`One is the copyright for the rules, and the "1953" rules stayed in effect up to 1976, for example. The copyright on the board is even
`more useless; it stayed put at 1948 almost up to the year 2000! So when you see a vintage Scrabble set on eBay "from 1953" or
`"from 1948", buyer beware!
`
`So we have to use other evidence, such as from a knowledge of the history of ownership of Scrabble, and from inserted forms and
`leaflets, to zero in on the time frame for a given set.
`
`I hope my deductions are useful and interesting to you; they certainly aren't the final word. Most of the dates given here are very
`approximate; there's much room for refinement. And while I think this progression of standard Scrabble box styles is pretty complete,
`based on an observation of the Scrabble sets that come up for sale on eBay, you never know.
`
`I'm also assuming that when a second Scrabble factory was built in 1957, both factories cranked out identical sets at the same time!
`
`To get us rolling, here are the standard Scrabble sets I know of, arranged in a plausible chronology. If you click on a box top, you will
`be taken to the section explaining the considerations that went into determining the time frame for that set. The main aspects we look
`at are the box top design, the rules, the copyright and manufacturing information below the rules, and the board.
`
`Period: 1948
`(Sure wish I had a set!)
`
`Period: 1949 - early 1953
`
`Text: SCRABBLE/Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.
`
`Period: early 1953 - later 1953
`
`Added text: Manufactured by Selchow & Righter Co., New York, N. Y.
`for Production & Marketing Corp.
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`1/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 1
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`76 captures
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`Period: ca 1954
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`2009 2011 2012
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
`Changed text: "Corp." to "Company".
`
`Period: ca 1955 - 1957?
`
`Changed text: "Company" to "Co."
`
`Period: ca 1958
`
`Paper sticker changed to foil sticker; "Co." back to "Company".
`
`Period: ca 1959?
`
`Added text: A CROSSWORD GAME.
`New box color and texture.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`2/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 2
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`76 captures
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`Period: ca 1961?
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`2009 2011 2012
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`SelRight trademark and manufacturing statement stamped on box top.
`
`Period: 1965? - 1970
`
`Round sticker replaced with stamped logo.
`Font change, and Bay Shore address in lower right.
`
`Period: 1971 - 1976
`
`Bright maroon; no more Production & Marketing Company.
`
`Period: 1976 - 1980?
`
`Rectangular "S and R GAMES" logo.
`Bay Shore zip code 11706 added.
`
`
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`3/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 3
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`76 captures
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`Period: 1980? - 1982
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`2009 2011 2012
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
`Selchow & Righter "peacock tail" trademark.
`
`Period: 1982 - 1986
`
`Selchow & Righter goes crazy with color.
`
`Gap: 1986 - 1989
`(I have no set from the Coleco period.)
`
`Period: 1989 - 1999
`
`Milton Bradley/Hasbro.
`
`Period: 1999 - ?
`
`Parker Brothers/Hasbro.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`4/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 4
`
`

`

`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`8/10/2020
`
`76 captures
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`This information was extracted from Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis.
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`2009 2011 2012
`
`THUMBNAIL HISTORY OF SCRABBLE
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
` 1937-1947: Alfred Butts finalizes Criss-Cross Words. He sells about 100 sets.
` 1947: Butts turns the game over to James Brunot. Brunot weeds out a few
` premium squares around the middle of the board; adds 50-point
` bingo bonus; renames it Scrabble!
` Summer 1948: Brunot makes a few hundred(?) Scrabble sets, mainly for promotional use.
` 1948: 1948 SCRABBLE RULES.
` 1949: 1949 SCRABBLE RULES.
` 1949: 2413 games sold.
` 1950: Brunot orders game boards from Selchow & Righter.
` 1950: 1632 games sold.
` 1951: 4859 games sold.
` Summer 1952: 200 games/week. Brunot returns from vacation to find 2500 orders!
`3rd Quarter 1952: 500+ games/week.
`4th Quarter 1952: 2000 games/week.
` Early 1953: 6000 games/week; but orders arriving by tens of thousands!
` March 1953: Brunot licenses production and marketing to Selchow & Righter.
` later 1953: 1953 SCRABBLE RULES.
` 1953: 800,000 games sold, regular and cardboard.
` 1954: 3,798,555 games sold.
` Jun 26 1956: Patent granted for star points around the premium squares.
` 1957?: Selchow & Righter builds new factory, offices in Bay Shore, Long Island.
` Sep 3 1957: SelRight trademark registered.
` Jan 1 1971: Brunot sells Scrabble outright to Selchow & Righter.
` 1976: 1976 SCRABBLE RULES.
` 1986: Coleco buys Selchow & Righter.
` 1989: Hasbro acquires assets of bankrupt Coleco.
` 1989: 1989 SCRABBLE RULES. Milton Bradley division of Hasbro makes Scrabble.
` 1999: 1999 SCRABBLE RULES. Parker Brothers division of Hasbro makes Scrabble.
`
`
`
`
`Period: 1948
`
`Defining characteristics for this period:
`
`Rule copyright: 1948
`
`I don't have a set from this earliest period. Do you? If so, get in touch! I'd love to see the original rules, not to mention, the box and
`board and tiles and racks. Presumably, if you ever should stumble on one, it will be easy to recognize; there will be no date later than
`1948 shown anywhere.
`
`According to Word Freak, Scrabble's owner James Brunot started production in the summer of 1948, assembling the games in his
`kitchen. (It says that Brunot hired Selchow & Righter to make "a few hundred boards," but later in the book that date is put a couple
`of years later, which seems more plausible to me.)
`
`Word Freak gives the impression that the Scrabble sets of 1948 were solely for promotional purposes. The inventor of the game, Alfred
`Butts, received his first copy from Brunot in December 1948, and it's hardly thinkable that any sales activity took place before that
`courtesy.
`
`All this surely makes a 1948 original issue Scrabble set a very rare item, indeed. I don't know where you can view one. You can view
`Alfred Butts' Criss-Cross Words, which was the original Scrabble before James Brunot modified it slightly changed the name. Go to
`the National Scrabble Association web site and find a link to "History".
`
`
`
`Period: 1949 - early 1953
`
`Defining characteristics of sets for this period:
`
`Rule copyright: 1949
`Board copyright: 1948
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`5/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 5
`
`

`

`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`8/10/2020
`Box and board: dark burgundy, with "organic grain" texture.
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`04
`
`
`Simplest of all the round "Scrabble" stickers on box top.
`f 🐦
`76 captures
`No mention inside or out of Selchow & Righter.
`2009 2011 2012
`▾ About this capture
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`I can't say exactly when the first sets with the "1949" rules appeared, but it's inviting to imagine Brunot incorporating feedback he
`received from his 1948 promotional sets as quickly as possible.
`
`I wouldn't know when my set was manufactured within this period but simple probability associated with the skyrocketing sales figures
`would suggest late. The thumbnail history shows that by the end of this period, Brunot was cranking out 6000 sets per week, which
`means maybe over half the approximately 100,000 sets manufactured in this period were actually made in the first couple of months
`of 1953. It was because Brunot couldn't hope to keep up with the orders that he licensed production to Selchow & Righter, which is
`what marks the end of this dating period.
`
`Supposing my set was manufactured very late in this period, I can say nothing about modifications to the box top design earlier in the
`period. Did Brunot get rolling back in 1949 with the classy, textured box and simple but elegant round sticker seen here? Not
`unthinkable, but I don't know.
`
`Here's a close-up of the box top sticker. Click to enlarge.
`
`SCRABBLE
`REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
`
`Note the text-free, narrow yellow border; in later periods, it will show Selchow & Righter's involvement.
`
`Even in this early phase of Scrabble history, the rules printed inside the game lid are basically the same, in content and general
`appearance, as those we're all familiar with. Then, there were only four examples of plays shown at the bottom. For a complete
`description of what changes were made to the "1949" rules to give the "1953" rules, see my Changes to the box top rules page.
`
`The copyright information below the rules appears as follows:
`
`Copyright 1949 by
`The Production and Marketing Corporation, Newtown, Connecticut.
`Previous Edition Copyright 1948 by The Production and Marketing Corporation.
`
`Let's pause for a few words about James Brunot's company. As you see, it had the horribly lengthy and generic name, The
`Production and Marketing Corporation. In my view, that's one of the biggest drags in the exciting, early history of Scrabble.
`Wouldn't a simple "J. Brunot & Co." have been far classier? Besides being stupendously dull and unwieldy, it will become ridiculously
`misleading when, starting with the next dating period, Selchow & Righter takes over the production and marketing for the Production
`and Marketing Corporation. Got it? Yuck.
`
`Although nearly identical to the Scrabble board everyone is familiar with, the board in my set has a few small differences. The "slick"
`pasted on the folding board truly is glossy, as opposed to the non-gloss playing surfaces that followed.
`
`Here's an image of the lower left corner. (Click to enlarge.)
`
`Beneath the Letter Distribution is the copyright notice for the board:
`
`1949 - early 1953 period Scrabble board (click to enlarge.)
`
`COPYRIGHT
`1948 by
`PRODUCTION
`AND MARKETING
`CORPORATION
`--
`NEWTOWN
`CONN.
`
`
`
`Note the snazzy red (R) that follows "SCRABBLE" on each side of the board. You won't see that again.
`
`Note the straight edges to all of the premium letter and word squares. The star point pips will come along about 1959 or so. Note that
`even though Selchow & Righter made boards for Brunot during this period, their name does not appear; they were simply contracted
`to do a job.
`
`I describe the texture of the box top and the back of the board as having an irregular "organic grain". This is in distinction to the later
`texture, which I describe as an almost, but not quite, regular "weave". Here are images of each so you know what I'm talking about.
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`6/20
`
`
`Left: older, organic grain.
`Right: later, weave texture.
`
`
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 6
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`04
`
`
`The "organic grain" remained in use until 1959 or so. And the color, what I call a dark burgundy, stayed the same for as long as the
`f 🐦
`76 captures
`"organic grain" was used. Note that the material used for the box surface also covered the back of the board (until they started
`2009 2011 2012
`▾ About this capture
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`printing full color boxes.)
`
`My set includes a flier called "WHAT WORD WOULD YOU ADD?", showing a Scrabble game in progress on a table top. Too bad there's
`no tiny date printed anywhere on the sheet! The back touts all of Scrabble's features: "absorbing"; "appeals to crossword puzzle fans";
`"keen competition"; "fascinating and instructive game for older children"; "unexcelled vocabulary builder"; "an investment in lasting
`enjoyment."
`
`One of these "features" disappoints me. "SCRABBLE is played by two, three, or four persons. It is an especially fine two handed
`game." I'd like to think that game playing in the golden '50s would have been viewed as a more sociable, the-more-the-merrier sort of
`activity. I'm sorry to see this leaning toward head-to-head, tournament-style play so early on.
`
`Last, and certainly least, among the noted differences is the single-line border around the rules inside the game lid; in later periods, it
`will be a double line.
`
`
`
`Period: early 1953 - later 1953
`
`Defining characteristics of sets for this period:
`
`Rule copyright: 1949
`Board copyright: 1948
`Box and board: dark burgundy, with "organic grain" texture.
`"Scrabble" sticker text: Manufactured by S&R; for P&M; Corp.
`
`This period begins about March 1953, when Selchow & Righter (S&R;) took over the complete production and marketing of Scrabble.
`(Understand that they did not take over the ownership. That will happen in 1971.) The "1949" rules are still in place, however. The
`appearance of the "1953" rules marks the endpoint of this period. I don't know exactly when that was, but my guess is that it must
`have been fairly late in the year. My reasoning is that S&R; must have had enough time to produce enough games in this period for me
`to have stumbled on two sets, without even trying.
`
`Here's a close-up of the box top sticker. (Click to enlarge.)
`
`
`
`MANUFACTURED BY SELCHOW & RIGHTER CO., NEW YORK, N. Y.
`SCRABBLE
`REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
`FOR PRODUCTION & MARKETING CORP.
`
`
`
`The information below the rules in the lid appears as follows:
`
`Manufactured by Selchow & Righter Co., New York, N.Y.
`for The Production and Marketing Corporation
`
`Copyright 1949 by The Production and Marketing Corporation
`Previous Edition Copyright 1948 by The Production Marketing [sic] Corporation
`
`
`
`The game board is now non-gloss, and the (R) symbols are basic black. A manufacturing statement is now given below the Letter
`Distribution:
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`7/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 7
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`76 captures
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`2009 2011 2012
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
`Manufactured by
`SELCHOW & RIGHTER CO.
`NEW YORK N. Y.
`
`FOR
`
`PRODUCTION
`AND MARKETING
`CORPORATION
`
`
`
`And the copyright statement for the board is moved to the bottom right. (Click to enlarge.)
`
` Copyright 1948 by
` S C R A B B L E (R) PRODUCTION AND MARKETING CORP.
` Printed in U.S.A.
`
`Note the consistent use of "Corporation" throughout. Starting with the next period, it will always be the Production & Marketing
`Company. So, based on the sets I've seen, if you find the word "Corp." on the box top sticker, your set falls into this funny period of
`"1953, but after the S&R; licensing, but before the 1953 rules."
`
`My set has the "WHAT WORD WOULD YOU ADD?" insert, but now the back is blank.
`
`Lastly, the familiar double-line border around the rules in the lid appears.
`
`
`
`Period: ca 1954
`
`Defining characteristics of sets for this period:
`
`Rule copyright: 1953
`Board copyright: 1948
`Box and board: dark burgundy, with "organic grain" texture.
`"Scrabble" sticker text: Manufactured by S&R; for P&M; Company.
`Inserted leaflet: 1867 S&R; 1954
`
`This period starts with the appearance of the "1953" rules, perhaps some time in late 1953. (See discussion in previous period.) Also,
`all references to Production & Marketing Corporation, such as on the box top sticker, are changed to "Company". The period ends with
`another slight change to the box top sticker and a 1955 games catalog insert.
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`8/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 8
`
`

`

`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`8/10/2020
`Here's a close-up of the box top sticker, taken from another set from the same period. (Click to enlarge.)
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`04
`76 captures
`2009 2011 2012
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
`MANUFACTURED BY SELCHOW & RIGHTER CO., NEW YORK, N. Y.
`SCRABBLE
`REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
`FOR PRODUCTION & MARKETING COMPANY
`
`
`
`The "1953" rules added Turn 5, in which BIT is played, in the "Examples of Word Formation and Scoring" shown at the bottom. For a
`complete description of changes from the "1949" to "1953" rules see my Changes to the box top rules page.
`
`In the information below the rules in the lid, a copyright for 1953 is added to the list:
`
`Manufactured by Selchow & Righter Co., New York, N.Y.
`for The Production and Marketing Company
`
`Copyright 1948, 1949, 1953 by
`Production and Marketing Company
`
`
`The game board is the same in the previous period, but with "Corporation" changed to "Company" in both places. For instance, the
`statement below the Letter Distribution appears as follows:
`
`Manufactured by
`SELCHOW & RIGHTER CO.
`NEW YORK N. Y.
`
`FOR
`
`PRODUCTION
`AND MARKETING
`COMPANY
`
`
`My two complete sets from this period still have the Selchow & Righter game catalog leaflet prominently marked "1954". (Click to
`enlarge.)
`
`1867 S&R; 1954
`Families for Four
`Generations Have Played
`S&R; Fine Games
`
`Here's the write-up for Scrabble in the leaflet:
`
`Scrabble is a fascinating word game with a scoring feature--and it's so easy to learn. Once played, old and young alike,
`experience a tantalizing challenge to play it again and again.
`
`My set has the same "WHAT WORD WOULD YOU ADD?" flier as in the previous period. There is also a Missing Tile/Defective Tile form.
`It gives S&R;'s Brooklyn address for complaints:
`
`SELCHOW AND RIGHTER CO.
`976 Kent Avenue Brooklyn 5, N. Y.
`
`In this early stage of Scrabble history, Selchow & Righter had its headquarters and factory in Brooklyn. The New York City address
`seen on the box and board refers to their office in the Toy Manufacturers Association building in Manhattan.
`
`
`
`Period: ca 1955 - 1957?
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`9/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 9
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`76 captures
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`2009 2011 2012
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
`Defining characteristics of sets for this period:
`
`Rule copyright: 1953
`Board copyright: 1948
`Box and board: dark burgundy, with "organic grain" texture.
`"Scrabble" sticker text: ...for P&M; "COMPANY", "COMPANY.", or "CO."
`Inserted 1955 S&R; game catalog leaflet.
`Bay Shore address on Missing Tile form in later part of period.
`
`This period is a bit untidy. In fact, it might not even deserve to be considered apart from the previous one. I found a set that has a
`slightly changed "SCRABBLE" sticker on the box top and a 1955 S&R; games catalog on the inside. I thought, "Aha, this is the next
`step in the evolution!" But this same set also has a Missing Tile/Defective Tile form that gives a Bay Shore, Long Island, address for
`complaints:
`
`SELCHOW AND RIGHTER CO.
`505 East Union Street Bay Shore, L. I.
`
`"Word Freak" implies that the Bay Shore factory and offices were built about 1957. If so, we have to conclude that the 1955 S&R;
`games catalog saw continued duty for well over a year, and that this set dates from about 1957.
`
`Getting back to the slightly changed "SCRABBLE" sticker, here's a close-up. (Click to enlarge.)
`
`MANUFACTURED BY SELCHOW & RIGHTER CO., NEW YORK, N. Y.
`SCRABBLE
`REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
`FOR PRODUCTION & MARKETING CO.
`
`The word "COMPANY" from the 1954 period is now shortened to "CO." But is that signicant for dating purposes? Consider that I also
`have an orphaned box top with an otherwise identical sticker, but with a period given after "COMPANY." (Yes, a period!!! Can you
`handle the excitement?) Here's the proof.
`
`So, the question is, did these small changes to the round, paper "SCRABBLE" sticker came along in an orderly sequence useful for
`dating, or did Selchow and Righter capriciously jump around between "COMPANY", "COMPANY." and "CO." over the course of several
`years from about 1954 to 1957? I'm not losing any sleep over it, but, hey, if I come across enough games with enough internal
`evidence to answer the question, you'll be the first to know.
`
`In any case, the inner lid and the board are identical to the previous "1954 period". Perhaps it's safest to view late 1953 to about
`1957 as one period. The definite endpoint of the period is when a set appears that has "1958" written all over it, figuratively and
`literally.
`
`Here's that 1955 S&R; games catalog. (Click to enlarge.)
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`10/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 10
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`S&R;
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`INVITATION
`
`
`TO PLAY
`f 🐦
`76 captures
`2009 2011 2012
`▾ About this capture
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`Actually, the dating took a bit of sleuthing. Nowhere does the catalog say "1955", but there are some solid clues. It claims Selchow &
`Righter has been "creating best-selling games for 88 years". If you add 88 years to Selchow & Righter's birth year, 1867 (see the 1954
`catalog), you arrive at 1955. In the company's address, what had been "Dept. M" in the 1954 pamphlet becomes "Dept. 55", looking
`suspiciously like a year coded in there. The two 18-page pamphlets are very similar to each other. They show the same games with
`two exceptions. Two games dropped from the 1954 pamphlet were replaced with Down You Go and Get That License. Web research
`indicates "Down You Go" had a 1954 copyright, and thus cannot be used to prove a 1955 date for the insert, but "Get That License"
`was a 1955 game. That's certainly enough evidence. Of course, I can't say exactly when the "1955" pamphlet appeared and how long
`was it used.
`
`This set also has the same "What Word Would You Add? flier as in the previous two periods.
`
`Reminder: the premium square star points, which we love to pieces even though they don't work worth beans, still haven't made their
`appearance.
`
`
`
`Period: ca 1958
`
`Defining characteristics of sets for this period:
`
`Rule copyright: 1953
`Board copyright: 1948
`Box and board: dark burgundy, with "organic grain" texture.
`"Scrabble" sticker changed from paper to foil.
`Inserted flier for Scrabble For Juniors.
`
`This period starts with the appearance of a foil "Scrabble" sticker on the box top. The endpoint is when "A CROSSWORD GAME" is
`added to the foil sticker, and... well, I won't ruin the surprise now.
`
`Here's a close-up of the first foil box top sticker. Remember we saw "COMPANY", "COMPANY.", and "CO." on the previous paper
`stickers, going back to late 1953. Now we see "COMPANY" again. (Click to enlarge.)
`
`MANUFACTURED BY SELCHOW & RIGHTER CO., NEW YORK, N. Y.
`SCRABBLE
`REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
`FOR PRODUCTION & MARKETING COMPANY
`
`
`
`The inside lid is still exactly the same as back in late 1953, when the "1953" rules appeared, and the board goes back even further;
`it's unchanged from early 1953 when Selchow & Righter took over production.
`
`There's an inserted flier for Scrabble for Juniors. What makes that interesting is that Scrabble For Juniors dates from 1958, and this
`flier makes it sound like it's still a new game. "Just what the small fry ordered..." "The answer to countless requests for a Scrabble
`type word game suitable for youngsters..."
`
`And, if that's not enough to prove a 1958 date, my set has a handwritten note on a handmade, hexagonal gift card with pinked edges:
`
`To
`Charles Allen
`Love
`Mommy
`"1958"
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`11/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 11
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`04
`
`
`So there we are - after floating around a bit uncertainly for a few years, we've pegged one of the sets in the procession to a precise
`f 🐦
`76 captures
`year.
`2009 2011 2012
`▾ About this capture
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`
`
`Period: ca 1959?
`
`Defining characteristics of sets for this period:
`
`Rule copyright: 1953
`Board copyright: 1948
`Foil "Scrabble" sticker with "A CROSSWORD GAME".
`Box and board: dark brown, with "irregular weave" texture.
`Board has star points around premium squares.
`Bay Shore address appears on board.
`
`This period starts with the appearance of "A CROSSWORD GAME" on the foil "Scrabble" sticker on the box top. Moreover, the box and
`board switch to the dark brown, "irregular weave" texture. Also... we finally get star points around the premium squares on the board!
`The endpoint for this period is when the manufacturing statement is moved from the round "Scrabble" sticker to being stamped
`directly on the box top at the lower right.
`
`I don't have a copy of this landmark Scrabble set in my collection, but saw one on eBay. The images were clear enough to prove the
`transition to the new color and texture of the box and board. To refresh your memory, here are samples of the old and new side by
`side:
`
`
`Left: older, organic grain.
`Right: later, weave texture.
`
`
`
`The weave texture, with the weaves always slanted on a 45-degree angle, is surely what gives rise to the pattern seen in the image of
`the box top above.
`
`Likewise, the eBay photo of the board had enough definition, if not to permit reading, to at least prove the board is the same as in my
`set from the next period. Here they are, side by side:
`
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`12/20
`
`
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 12
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`76 captures
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`Manufactured by
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`SELCHOW & RIGHTER CO.
`BAY SHORE, N.Y.
`FOR
`2009 2011 2012
`PRODUCTION
`AND MARKETING
`COMPANY
`
`Patent No. 2,752,158
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
`
`I wish I had some internal evidence to help date this set more precisely. As it is, all I can say is that it comes after the 1958 design,
`and there are two more designs yet to come before we get to 1971. Did it follow hard on the heels of 1958, or hold off a few more
`years? I'd like to think it came quickly - mainly because I've been champing at the bit to get to the premium square star points! But
`consider a couple of things.
`
`For one, recognize that a patent for the premium square star points was filed by James Brunot on Oct 28 1954, and it was granted
`June 26 1956. Why should it take even until 1959 before they appeared on Scrabble boards? While we're on the subject, that patent
`number you see on the board, 2,752,158, is strictly for the star point pips; it is not a patent for the board itself. The idea is, after
`putting a tile down, you can see what sort of square it's on without picking it up again. (Does it work for you?)
`
`Another curious thing is why the Bay Shore address should have taken even this long to appear on the board, if the Bay Shore factory
`and offices were built in 1957. In fact, this is the first instance of "Bay Shore" appearing anywhere on the the main components of a
`Scrabble set. We've only seen it on the Missing Tile/Defective Tile form.
`
`But, in spite of all these considerations and wishful thinking, 1959 is just a guess.
`
`
`
`Period: ca 1961?
`
`Defining characteristics of sets for this period:
`
`Rule copyright: 1953
`Board copyright: 1948
`Box and board: dark brown, with "irregular weave" texture.
`Foil "Scrabble" sticker with plain border.
`SelRight trademark and manufacturing information stamped on box top.
`
`This period starts with the appearance of a round, foil "Scrabble" sticker with a plain border, and a SelRight trademark and
`manufacturing information stamped on box top at the lower right. The endpoint for this period is when the round "Scrabble" sticker is
`replaced with a stamped Scrabble logo.
`
`The dating is again just a guess, based on it having to be after the previous period and leaving room for the upcoming period. If we
`think we can use the registration date of the SelRight trademark as a clue, we set ourselves up for another disappointment: the
`trademark was filed for on May 29 1956 and it was registered on September 3 1957. Why the delay in using it?
`
`One handy tool for assistance in dating is zip codes. They came along in 1963, so if you find a zip code on any of the inserts in your
`Scrabble box, you have a lower bound of 1963 for the year of manufacture. The zip code for Bay Shore is 11706.
`
`Here's a close-up of the box top sticker. (Click to enlarge.)
`
`
`
`Here's a close-up of the lower right box top. (Click to enlarge.)
`https://web.archive.org/web/20110304121709/http:/www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`SCRABBLE
`A CROSSWORD GAME
`
`13/20
`
`Supercell
`Exhibit 1015
`Page 13
`
`

`

`8/10/2020
`
`http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-dating.htm
`
`76 captures
`28 Dec 2009 - 19 Oct 2019
`
`Scrabble; dating of your Scrabble set, 1948 through 1999; Scrabble history.
`Go DEC MAR FEB
`04
`2009 2011 2012
`
`👤 ⍰ ❎
`
`
`f 🐦
`▾ About this capture
`
`SELRIGHT
`TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
`MANUFACTURED BY SELCHOW & RIGHTER CO., NEW YORK, N. Y.
`FOR PRODUCTION AND MARKETING COMPANY MADE IN U.S.A.
`
`
`
`The inside lid is still the same as back in late 1953, and the board is the same as in the previous, "1959", period, when the star point
`pips came along.
`
`
`
`Period: 1965? - 1970
`
`Defining characteristics of sets for this period:
`
`Rule copyright: 1953
`Board copyright: 1948
`Box and board: dark brown, with "irregular weave" texture.
`Stamped "Scrabble" logo on box top.
`S&R; address given as Bay Shore on the box top.
`
`This period starts with the appearance of a stamped, round "Scrabble" logo where the sticker was. Down in the lower right, "Selchow &
`Righter" is stamped in a more basic font style, and the city, which was New York, is now Bay Shore.
`
`As before, the starting point of this period is just a year chosen for convenience. But the endpoint is well-defined; it takes us up
`through the end of 1970, at which time Selchow & Righter bought Scrabble outright.
`
`Here's a close-up of the Scrabble logo. (Click to enlarge.)
`
`
`
`Here's a close-up of the lower right box top. (Click to enlarge.)
`
`SCRABBLE
`CROSSWORD GAME
`
`SELRIGHT
`TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.
`MANUFACTURED BY SELCHOW & RIGHTER CO., Bay Shore, N. Y.
`FOR PRODUCTION AND MARKETING COMPANY MADE IN U.S.A.
`
`
`
`The inside lid is unchanged from late 1953, and the board is unchanged from the "1959" period.
`
`Here's an interesting Scrabble set surely from this period found on eBay. It's still sealed, and the seller stated it was from 1968. I
`wonder how he knew the year; di