I lived on Mosholu PKWY by the corner of Hull Ave.(from 1971 to 1987). I remember playing "off the point" and "skullies". For those who don't know what that is, It's where you drew a big square in the middle of the street and inside the square you would draw small boxes numbered from 1-13. 13 would be in the middle. We use to use bottle caps with melted wax or crayons in it to shoot with. We also use to use poker chips held together with gum. You would have to shoot the caps into the small boxes in numerical order forward and backwards. How many others played this game of skill?
Was everyone's neighborhood like mine, we had what can be called season's to our games. For instance we would call it skully season, or tops season, just like in sports, every game we played was played during it's own season.
I grew up on Bathgate Ave. and we had game seasons, too.
Yes we played skully ,off the point as well as many other games. And yes there were seasons. Don't remember the time of year guys would come to the local candy stores and show the latest tricks for Duncan YOYO"S
Posts: 824 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 25 March 2003
Barry I think it was in the fall. Don't know why I think that but I do. I remember playing with YoYo's around the same time as we'd be playing with Tops and Chestnuts..........
It's a long story. But here is how it goes. First we went to the Veterans Hospital grounds. Store bought chestnuts just wouldn't do. We would gather a couple of pockets full. Next when we got home we would try to puncture the hardest ones with a nail. Some kids would soak the punctured chestnuts overnight in vinegar.
After all this, you would slip a shoelace through the hole and make a knot. Then you would find another schmoe who had done the same and you would play Chestnuts. One dope would go first. He would dangle his chestnut while you struck it with yours. If you missed you would dangle yours while he hit it with his. Whosever chestnut broke lost.
The winner would now be able to claim that his chestnut was two years old. If he beat a two year old he could claim that he owned a four year old. Or something like that.
I guess that you can tell that we had way too much time on our hands!!!
I lived on Story Ave, in the James Monroe projects and we had the "seasons of games" we did the tops, the paddle ball, chinese jump rope, skullies, yo-yos, and alway jump rope. We had these barrels in the park by the building that we played a kind of baseball with a spalding. It was all a blast!
My house had the fire hydrant in front. My old man painted the scully board in permanently. Summer was great. My playing field AND my beach club/summer camp 10 feet from the stoop!
I lived on Webster ave and Mosholu and we use to play under the third ave El A bunch of us would get together and draw huge Skullie boards and play for hours and when it rained my brother went and got a big sheet of plywood and we would play on our bedroom floor. even today when my sister flys in from new york we get together and play Skullie
