One of the best known board games of all time also happens to be one of the first, having debuted as a “parlor game” in the 19th century. The Game of Life – perhaps known better as just Life – first arrived in 1860 and was created by none other than Milton Bradley himself.

The original version of the game was known as The Checkered Game of Life, and true to that name, was built on what was essentially a modified checkerboard. The object of the game was to move around the game board, avoiding bad spaces and traveling from the starting point of “infancy” to the end point of “happy old age,” collecting 100 points along the way. The “good spaces” promoted values such as “influence” while “bad spaces” involved the concepts of “prison” and “ruin.” This version of the game didn’t use dice at all – as it didn’t want to have any connection to gambling of any sort – and instead used a six-sided top known as a teetotum. By the end of its first year in circulation, The Checkered Game of Life had sold more than 45,000 copies, helping to establish The Milton Bradley Company as a go-to name for gaming and leisure.

The Game of Life that we know today was created in 1960 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the original. Rather than a checkerboard, it focuses on a track that’s traveled by players, who are represented by small plastic cars that are filled with pegs (with the pegs representing a family expanding over the course of the game). Players move their pieces ahead on the track by spinning a multi-colored wheel located in the center of the board. Also included in this version of the game is the bank as well as insurance policies, stock certificates, and other tangibles.

The first “modernized” Game of Life was released in 1963 and featured television personality Art Linkletter as its spokesperson. Linkletter, who was known for hosting House Party, People Are Funny and Kids Say the Darndest Things, appeared on the game’s $100,000 bills as well as on the game box itself. The game would be reissued several times throughout the 20th century with a number of small changes each time, such as changing the model of car used as the player pieces, updating the dollar amounts on bank bills, and adding rewards for good behavior such as recycling. The most recent update to the game arrived in 2005, which reduced the reliance on chance for how it plays out.

The collectability of The Game of Life is fairly good, especially given the number of different licensed versions of the game that have come out more recently. There are many different editions of Life based on a variety of popular films and other media franchises, ranging from classics like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Wizard of Oz to more recently popular shows including Yo-Kai Watch, SpongeBob SquarePants, and My Little Pony. Interestingly, there are two licensed Life games that were only ever available in Japan, focusing on Sailor Moon and Pokémon. These licensed editions may be more appealing to collectors focusing on those specific franchises involved.

Most recent editions of the game can be found in the $15-20 range, though reproductions of the 1960s version have also surfaced as of late; those tend to run $30 or more. Older editions of the modern game can typically be found for around that price as well, largely depending on the condition of the box and if the game is still considered “complete.” Finding the original Checkered Game of Life, though, is a little trickier – finding a 150-year-old board game in good condition will likely run buyers $200-300 or more.