J. W. Spear and Sons was a manufacturer of board games during the 20th century. The company was founded by Jacob Wolf Spier (1832-1893) in Fürth, near Nuremberg, Germany in 1879.[1] They initially produced goods such as table mats, photo frames, and waste-paper baskets. By the turn of the century, games had become their main product.
In 1932, the company set up a factory in Brimsdown, Enfield, Britain to avoid customs duties.[2] With the rise to power of the Nazis and the Spier family being Jewish, some members of the family moved to Britain and subsequently Anglicised their name to Spear. The Nuremberg factory was forcibly "purchased" by a German businessman, and survived most of World War II under Nazi control until the Royal Air Force bombed it. The UK factory switched to military production during the war and then returned to making games. In 1954, the company acquired the rights to produce and market Scrabble for markets outside North America. In addition to board games, they also made the Brickplayer construction toy.
The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange