Last month Bonhams of London held an all board game auction; this month it was Ritchie Auctioneers of Toronto. This Parkins & Gotto Games Compendium (right) sold for $9000.

According to Forbes, the market for board and card game collectibles is on the rise, partly due to nostalgia, and partly due to the simple beauty of some of the available items.

This barleycorn chess set (left), available at Christie’s, goes up for auction on July 8 and is valued at a bargain £400 – £600.

And there’s always a slew of expensive games, mostly Chess sets, available on eBay.