Ein Rheinreisespiel

This is a beautiful early 20th Century game. The 60-space track takes the player along the Rhine River from Mainz to Cologne (Koln). The track includes illustrations of the many picturesque towns and sights along the way, with art by Emil Ernst Heinsdorff. The game comes with six very cute painted metal player tokens. The game is simple: players roll a die and follow any instructions for the space on which they land, which are printed on the inside of the box. While the game is obviously suitable for children, some of the instructions to be followed seem equally suited to an adult drinking party. Landing on the famous statue of Lorelei, the player must sing a verse of "Ich Weiss nicht, was joll es bedeuten", and if any player lands on the town of Oberwesel, everyone must immediately rise and belt out a verse from a Rhein song of their choice! The First Edition is usually dated to c. 1910, while the Second Edition (with a painting of the town of Bacharach on the box cover) dates to c. 1924.