Goodall & Son’s Patience & Miniature packs

Published August 05, 2014 Updated June 28, 2023

Goodall & Son’s Patience & Miniature packs came in various styles of box and back design, c.1890-1930.

United Kingdom Goodall Elfin Railway Tom Thumb Miniature Patience

From the late 19th century, until after their take-over by Thomas De la Rue, Charles Goodall and Son produced a number of popular boxed patience and miniature sets (“Patience”, “Railway”, “Tom Thumb” & “Elfin”) with ornamental designs on the backs. The cards were widely produced in two-colour court versions, and less commonly with three-colour court cards, and were often linen grained. A special set was produced in 1924 for the British Empire Exhibition. In addition, cards were produced in standard and narrow width patience sizes. They also produced miniature versions of “Historic” playing cards, with plain or gilt edges. In keeping with standard packs of the time, patience packs were supplied with a single joker and a spare blank card which could be used to replace a lost or damaged card.

assorted art nouveau and deco back designs from patience or miniature packs

Above: assorted art nouveau and deco back designs from patience or miniature packs.

the less common multi-coloured courts the less common multi-coloured courts

Above: the less common multi-coloured courts, Goodall & Son.

the two colour version the two colour version

Above: the two colour version is more common than the multi-coloured version.

Several boxed patience and miniature sets are listed in Goodall’s trade lists of the 1880s onwards, in leather or Morocco leather cases.

Classic art nouveau patience set c.1905

Above: classic patience set in leather case, c.1905.

multi-coloured miniature patience, c.1905

Above: the less common multi-coloured miniature patience, c.1905.

boxed patience set, c.1920

Above: boxed patience set, c.1920.

After Goodall & Son was taken over by De la Rue in 1921, De la Rue continued to produce patience sets to the Goodall designs with Goodall aces, jokers and courts, but with a modified typeface for the indices. Some sets were also produced for the WD & HO Wills promotion of the early 1930’s

box from dual set of Goodall's Elfin Duplex and Round cornered patience cards, c.1899

Above: box from dual set of Goodall's Elfin Duplex and Round cornered patience cards, c.1899. Image courtesy Matt Probert.

early art deco patience set c.1920

Above: early art deco patience set c.1920.

advert from Goodall's book on Auction bridge published in 1921

Above: advert from Goodall's book on Auction bridge published in 1921.

British Empire Exhibition, 1924

Souvenir of the British Empire Exhibition, 1924 Souvenir of the British Empire Exhibition, 1924

Above: Souvenir of the British Empire Exhibition, gilt edges, 1924. Image courtesy Matt Probert.

Art deco patience set c.1927

Above: Art deco patience set c.1927.

set produced for the WD & HO Wills scheme of the early 1930s

Above: sets were also produced for the WD & HO Wills scheme of the early 1930s.

CREDITS & FURTHER REFERENCES

Goodall, Michael H: Chas Goodall & Son: The Family and The Firm 1820-1922, Woking, 2000

Hall, Tony: "Goodall Patience Boxes" and "Poker Patience". Download as Adobe Acrobat file (770 Kb. PDF).

Thanks to Matt Probert for additional research and images.

set produced for the WD & HO Wills scheme of the early 1930s
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By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.

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