Les Sports

Published July 03, 2017 Updated June 11, 2022

Les Sports quartet game designed by Paul Ordner, c.1960.

1960 France Fernand Nathan Paul Ordner Sports Card Games Quartet

Les Sports quartet game was designed by cartoonist and artist Paul Ordner (1901-1969) and published by Fernand Nathan, c.1960. His drawing talents were recognised very early at Rollin School (Paris) and first appear in 1923 in an advertisement for Spidoleïne engine oil. After a short time working at the stock exchange he became interested in cartoons and published cartoons for various newspapers. His career as a sports artist began to take off in the 1930s. He became a journalist, travelling across Europe to follow events, and was able to continue this career successfully after the war.

Les Sports quartet game designed by Paul Ordner, published by Fernand Nathan, c.1960 Les Sports quartet game designed by Paul Ordner, published by Fernand Nathan, c.1960 Les Sports quartet game designed by Paul Ordner, published by Fernand Nathan, c.1960 Les Sports quartet game designed by Paul Ordner, published by Fernand Nathan, c.1960 Les Sports quartet game designed by Paul Ordner, published by Fernand Nathan, c.1960 Les Sports quartet game designed by Paul Ordner, published by Fernand Nathan, c.1960

Above: Les Sports quartet game designed by Paul Ordner, published by Fernand Nathan, c.1960. 48 cards in box.


REFERENCES

Paul Ordner: 40 ans de dessin sportif

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By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

Member since January 30, 2009

Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many.

His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.

Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service.

Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.

His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.

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