76: Transitions: Hunt & Sons

Since Hunt was the most prolific maker of the period from 1810-1828, it's relatively easy to investigate small variations in a number of packs from a specific period of production. Dating is helped by the details of the AS, as presented in John Berry's IPCS book on the subject. In the case of the packs I'm considering they all have AS A5, except for the last two, which have A6. In 1810 Hunt was using a standard version of Type I courts, which he had used while working with Gibson, so here are two examples.

1/2: The ASs are from plates 16 & 19 and both have the second repair mark at the base. This means they date from 1813-15. The shape of the spade in the lower example is different from that of the upper one; this is particularly noticeable on the JS. The QC is from the same block.

3/4: The ASs are from plates 32 & 35 and both have a second repair mark at the base. This means they date from 1812-16. However, the shape of the spade in the upper pack is different again from 1 and 2 and is of an earlier type, which suggests that the old stencils were still in use. (There is a consistent back design.) The lower example is probably a later secondhand pack in that it has a Hunt HB1 JH, which comes from a later date, as we shall see below. The rest of the courts are Type I. The spade pip is like that of 2.

5/6: Plates 40 (1809-10) & 60 (1820-23). Here we have two packs some ten years apart, the top one with Type I courts and the lower one with HB1. The top pack has the older style spade pip; the lower one has a slightly more elegant spade pip than 2 and 4, different colouring on the JS's tunic and the JH has a staff base and a leaf.

7/8: Plates 65 (1818-20) & 64 (1820-21). This looks like an interesting cross-over time. Both types of courts with the same run of aces, but the later ace, as indicated by the second repair mark on the lower ace, is paired with HB1 courts. The pips are the same as 6, including the clubs, though the spade on the HB1 JS is a little more elegant than that on the Type I JS. The HB1 JH still has the staff base.

9/10: AS6 (George IV), plates 94 & 99 (1827). These packs must date from just before the introduction of Old Frizzle. The spade and club pips are different again and like those of the Old Frizzle period, the courts are HB1 and the JH has no staff base and no colour on the roundels on his shoulder.

Given this detail, it is reasonable to say that HB1 courts were introduction in or around 1820.

In the light of this we can consider packs from other collections, such as plainbacks. There are three relevant examples with A5:

B13: Plate 62 with third repair mark, HB1 courts with spades as 7 and clubs as 10, JH with staff base. 1822 or a little later.

B23: Plate 38 with third repair mark, Type I courts with pips as 6. 1816-17.

B24: Plate 59 with second repair mark, HB1 courts with pips as 8, JH with staff base. 1820-23.

There is one example with AS A6, which must date to 1827.