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Märchen-Quartett

Published September 06, 2020 Updated March 24, 2022

Fairy Tales quartet game by F.X. Schmid, Munich, 1960.

1960 Germany Schmid F.X. Folklore Card Games

Märchen-Quartett Nr.50822 (Fairy Tales) quartet game produced by F.X. Schmid, Munich, 1960, celebrating 100 years of game production. There are nine sets of four cards, labelled a - d. The cards show illustrations and verses from well-known fairy tales, including Puss in Boots Hansel and Gretel, the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella, etc. Many fairy tales have been passed down in oral traditions over thousands of years, similar to myths, before they were written down in literary forms which survive today.

Märchen-Quartett Fairy Tales quartet game by F.X. Schmid, Munich, 1960 Märchen-Quartett Fairy Tales quartet game by F.X. Schmid, Munich, 1960 Märchen-Quartett Fairy Tales quartet game by F.X. Schmid, Munich, 1960 Märchen-Quartett Fairy Tales quartet game by F.X. Schmid, Munich, 1960 Märchen-Quartett Fairy Tales quartet game by F.X. Schmid, Munich, 1960

Above: Fairy Tales quartet game by F.X. Schmid, Munich, 1960. 36 cards + title card in plastic box.

Märchen-Quartett Fairy Tales quartet game by F.X. Schmid, Munich, 1960
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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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