Archives
2022 • November
The Mrs. Forster Collection
Playing cards featuring original botanical paintings by Mrs. Sidney Eliza Forster from the 1890s.
H.P. Doebele
Artist-designed playing cards produced to demonstrate the quality of a printing technique.
Pack of Diets
“Pack of Diets” healthy lifestyle playing cards by Waddingtons Games for Figure Dynamics Ltd. in 1984.
I Trionfi d’Amore
Tarot trumps designed by Juan Ballesta and inspired by 1970s pop culture, promoting Baci chocolates.
Glenfiddich the independent spirit
Glenfiddich whisky advertising playing cards from Scotland, United Kingdom.
Art Nouveau Whist playing cards from a small Dutch factory
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by Paul Symons
The factory probably only produced playing cards for a few years in the 1920's
Pumuckl quartet game
Quartet game featuring the kobold Pumuckl, creation of the German author Ellis Kaut.
History of the Russian Revolution
A pack of playing cards about the Russian Revolution, USA, c. 2021.
Radical playing cards
Radical playing cards, identifying radical characters from history, United Kingdom, 2021
Lose the smoke Keep the fire
“Lose the smoke Keep the fire” playing cards to help quit smoking, published by Nicotinell, 2007.
Cycle all over London
Cycle all over London playing cards published by Transport for London Street Management, 2003.
Bofinger’s Reise-Skat
Advertising pack for a travel company with humorous illustrations of all sorts of travellers.
Harold Samuel Collection playing cards
The Harold Samuel Collection of Dutch and Flemish seventeenth-century artworks, United Kingdom, 2012.
Better drug laws now
“Better drug laws now” campaign playing cards issued by Release, United Kingdom.
Tarabish
A special pack of playing cards for an unusual game played almost exclusively in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Kuhn Khan and Cooncan: an update
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by Tony Hall
Kuhn Khan and Cooncan are pretty much exactly the same rummy-style game, but packaged and presented differently.
Poker Patience
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by Tony Hall
Poker Patience, according to an early 20th century author, was "introduced so recently as the autumn of 1908".
Piquet: the game and its artifacts
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by Tony Hall
Piquet may be the oldest card game which is still played today with origins going back to early 16th Century.
The Personalities and Books which shaped the game of Whist, 1860-1900
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by Tony Hall
All the books described here are from Tony Hall's own collection, put together over years because of his fascination with how Whist evolved into Contract Bridge.
Majority Calling and Value Bidding in Auction Bridge; a little bit of history
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by Tony Hall
The centuries-old game of Whist mutated through various stages into Contract Bridge as we know it today in a little over thirty years. Here Tony Hall describes and contrasts one small, but significant, stage in the process as it evolved on the two sides of the Atlantic.
Goodall & Son Patience Boxed Sets
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by Tony Hall
Goodall & Son produced a huge variety of Patience Boxed Sets at different times and for different consumers.
The Evolution of Whist and Bridge Boxed Sets, 1870s – 1930s
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by Tony Hall
Boxed sets of cards, markers, scorers and rule booklets have been around for many decades. Some of the "shop perfect" items in my collection are well over 100 years old.
Bezique Markers, 1860-1960
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by Tony Hall
Bezique is a two-player melding and trick-taking game. Dr. Pole introduced Bezique to England in 1861, but it wasn't popular until 1869.
Oliver North’s Pack of Lies
“Oliver North’s Pack of Lies” produced to help defeat Oliver North in his bid for Senator of Virginia, USA, 1994.
Hand made WW2 Prisoner of War Playing Cards
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by Paul Symons
made by German soldiers held captive by US troops
Hulk playing cards
Issued to coincide with the release in 2003 of the American superhero film, The Hulk.
Charlie Brown Plays Baseball card game
Peanuts comic strip characters on cards for regular play or a special game based on baseball.
John F. Kerry Presidential deck
John F. Kerry Presidential playing card deck in support of his election campaign of 2004.
Le Café
Four of the great coffee-producing countries represented in a commemorative pack of playing cards.
LBJ Texas playing cards
LBJ Texas playing cards, each card contains different historical facts about Texas, USA, 1966.
Russian Playing Card History - From the Beginnings to 1917
An in-depth review of the history of card-playing, gambling, legislation, manufacture and taxation of playing cards in Russia.
Russian Playing Card Monopoly
The Russian Playing Card Monopoly was established in March 1798 with all revenue going to support the St Petersburg Foundling Hospital. After the construction of the Foundling Hospital's own factory in 1817 (known as the Imperial Playing Card Factory), all subsequent Russian playing card production was located there until the end of the State monopoly in 1961.
Four Roses Bourbon Whiskey
Promotional playing cards for a brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Joker’s wild: Dubya’s trick deck
“Joker’s wild: Dubya’s trick deck” satirical playing cards published by Seven Stories Press in 2004.
Gee Duh-bya
“Gee Duh-bya” parody playing cards, highlighting the President’s peculiar use of language.
52 reasons to re-elect George Bush
“52 reasons to re-elect George Bush” political playing cards published in 2004.
Baraja Historica de Madrid
“Baraja Historica de Madrid 1992” playing cards designed by Alberto Pérez and published by Asescoin for 1994 Convention.
Das Peanuts Kartenspiel
Cartoon characters from the famous comic strip devised by Charles M. Schultz.
Isle of Man playing cards made by Glénisson of Turnhout
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by Paul Symons
Two souvenir packs with different court cards made by Glénisson for the Isle of Man, c.1880.
Grover Cleveland Presidential Campaign of 1888
Grover Cleveland Presidential Campaign playing cards of 1888, USA, [reprint 1980].
Iron Horses of the West
Steam and diesel locomotives from the famous Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe Railway Company.
Kennedy Kards
‘Kennedy Kards’ playing cards with satirical portrayals of the Kennedy clan, USA, 1963
Isle of Man playing cards by De La Rue & Goodall
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by Paul Symons
Two different versions of Isle of Man playing cards from 1870 and 1914.
Le Jeu des Chats (Dubout)
Cartoon-style illustrations of cats on playing cards created by the French artist Albert Dubout.
World’s Most Wanted Criminals
“World’s Most Wanted Criminals” playing cards published by the World Without Criminals Organization, USA.
Molière par Dubout
Characters and scenes from plays by Molière as drawn by the cartoonist Albert Dubout.
America’s Most Wanted
“America’s Most Wanted” playing cards based on the anti-crime reality TV show. 2003.
Baron Louis Atthalin’s Transformation Playing Cards, 1817
Baron Louis Atthalin (1784-1856) designed these cards whilst on a sea crossing from Palermo to Marseilles in 1814.
Soroptimist International Scotland South Region
Celebrating 100 years of Soroptimist International, 1921-2021.
Isle of Man souvenir playing cards by Goodall & Son.
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by Paul Symons
Two antique packs with scenic aces illustrating places on the Isle of Man.
Scouting playing cards
Cartoon-style illustrations promoting a Belgian organisation for scouts and guides.
Regime Change Begins at Home
“Regime Change Begins at Home” playing cards designed by Noel Douglas, c. 2003.
Carte Giganti Siciliane
Gigantic souvenir pack combining traditional Sicilian pattern cards with photographic views.
Sicilia in Acquerello
Souvenir playing cards from Sicily using watercolours rather than photographs.
Operation Iraqi Freedom playing cards
Operation Iraqi Freedom: U.S. Military heroes playing cards, 2003.