Paul Taylor chose the card game Pit

Games have always been a big part of my leisure time. As long as I can really remember I've enjoyed playing card, board and video games with friends and family. A few of us have been known to get together for the occasional game at lunchtime here at the museum.
 
Pit appeals to me as the sort of game I'd like to play today – I just need to persuade the curator to let me in to the case to get my hands on the cards & instructions and we can start playing!

Paul Taylor is Project Manager for the Herbert 2.0 project

What the curator says:

Pit card game, about 1919, collected in 1975

This card game was based on the American Corn Exchange of the early 1900s, which was known as 'the pit'. The game was made by Parker Bros. of Salem, Massachusetts in the USA and first went on sale in 1904.

The object of the game is to get nine cards of the same commodity - wheat, barley, corn, rye, oats, flax or hay. The game has no turns - players trade by passing cards face downwards to each other at any time. This fast paced game was meant to give the players an idea of the hustle and bustle of the American Corn Exchange.