Jacks

I remember playing Jacks as a child. It was a matter of coordination. Sort of like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time. The first time player usually finds it difficult, but once the rhythm is found, the game is easy.

It is an inexpensive game, easy to play; easy to transport. All I needed was a small rubber ball and a few jacks, a relatively cheap purchase at the local dime store. Dime stores, which sprang up in the late nineteenth century, slowly began disappearing in the 1960s.

My mom shopped at both Newberry’s and Woolworths, although Newberry’s was preferred. I went with her often, usually to buy patterns and cloth. She sewed many of our clothes and most of my doll clothes. The store had wood floors. When I close my eyes, I can hear the clomping of shoes and smell the scent of large bolts of material. I would wander through the store while my mother looked through huge books to choose a new Vogue Pattern.

I was usually allowed to buy some candy, a squirt gun or a small toy. I remember standing in line with my mother. She had thread, material and patterns in her hand. I had a small package of Jacks. Newberry’s and Woolworths both quietly gave way to the next generation; the discount store, Akron and Gemco which yielded to Walmart and Target.

Did you ever wonder about the origins of the game jacks? Neither did I. Well, that is until I saw a group of children in my village sitting on the ground with a pile of rocks. According to various sources on the internet Jacks is one of those games that children invented during ancient times and long before commercial toys were available. Rocks and bone fragments were used to play the game.

And, to think I’ve lived this long not knowing this little piece of trivia.