Arthur Lee & Sons Ltd

Published August 11, 2015 Updated May 09, 2023

Advertising deck produced for Arthur Lee and Sons Ltd of Sheffield by Thomas De la Rue around 1958.

1958 United Kingdom De la Rue Aces Advertising Engineering

Arthur Lee & Sons Ltd

Advertising deck with special ace of spades produced for Arthur Lee and Sons Ltd of Sheffield by Thomas De la Rue around 1958. The pack was sealed with a De la Rue security stamp and also featured the multi-colour joker. The back design cleverly mimics steel plate and is enhanced by silver edges to the cards.

Advertising deck produced for Arthur Lee and Sons Ltd of Sheffield by Thomas De la Rue around 1958

Above: Advertising deck with standard courts produced for Arthur Lee and Sons Ltd of Sheffield by Thomas De la Rue around 1958. The cards are silver-edged (steel edged?) and wrapped in cellophane, with a De La Rue security stamp.

avatar
307 Articles

By Matt Probert

Member since March 02, 2012

I have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.

Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.

Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.

I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.

Related Articles

1891 Scientific Whist

Scientific Whist

“Scientific Whist” : standard cards with instructions for play on the faces by Chas Goodall & Son, 1...

1985 Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur

Branded lingerie collection in a pack of pin-up playing cards.

2012 Shin-Tōmei Expressway Opening Commemoration

Shin-Tōmei Expressway Opening Commemoration

Promotional playing cards for the Shin-Tōmei Expressway, a major Japanese expressway that opened in ...

2021 Nimbus playing cards

Nimbus playing cards

Mike Steer’s weather-themed pack with suits in four colours and backs for cardistry.

2025 Agatha Christie and Playing Cards revisited

Agatha Christie and Playing Cards revisited

Agatha Christie uses card-play as a primary focus of a story, and as a way of creating plots and mot...

2006 The Decadent Deck

The Decadent Deck

Studies in the eroticism of the female body by Inge Clayton.

1893 Historic Shakespeare

Historic Shakespeare

“Historic Shakespeare” playing cards featuring Shakespearean characters by Chas Goodall & Son.

1925 Copechat Paramount Sorting System

Copechat Paramount Sorting System

Preserving the past: a specimen deck showcasing edge-notched cards and their ingenious sorting syste...

1893 Heartsette by Herbert Fitch & Co, 1893

Heartsette by Herbert Fitch & Co, 1893

A glimpse into a busy print and design office in late Victorian London.

1991 Intersigma

Intersigma

A Czech advertising deck for a company dealing with pump technology.

1989 Batman® playing cards

Batman® playing cards

Batman playing cards published by InterCol of London 1989.

1984 Can You Believe Your Eyes?

Can You Believe Your Eyes?

“Can You Believe Your Eyes?” playing cards featuring visual illusions & other oddities.

1910 Pastime Playing Cards for the Blind

Pastime Playing Cards for the Blind

The “Pastime” Playing Cards for the Blind manufactured by Goodall & Son Limd., c.1910.

1730 Songs with Flute accompaniment

Songs with Flute accompaniment

Eighteenth century English engraved cards with music for voice and flute.

1930 Love Tests

Love Tests

Vintage novelty “Love Test” cards of a slightly saucy nature but all in good fun!

2008 Ben 10 playing cards

Ben 10 playing cards

Characters from the American animated television science fantasy series Ben 10.