Classic Card Games for Kids
A boxed set of playing cards, Happy Families and an alphabet pack with rules for 22 games.
Playing cards
A pack with childlike court card designs and large indices. The publisher’s name appears on the Ace of Spades. All the 8s are specially decorated, probably to indicate that they are wild cards in the game of Crazy Eights. A different set of colours is used for the court cards in each suit.
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Above: Classic Card Games for Kids playing cards published by Paul Lamond Games, London, printed by Games & Print Services, Canvey Island, UK, 2002. 52 cards + 3 (identical) Jokers. Size: 56 x 87 mm.
Happy Families
Simple, colourful, modern designs. Nine families, most of them engaged in traditional activities, but also including the Planes (the pilot and his family). The cards have square corners.
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Above: Classic Card Games for Kids Happy Families published by Paul Lamond Games, London, printed by Games & Print Services, Canvey Island, UK, 2002. 36 cards. Size: 56 x 87 mm.
Alphabet pack
Clear, colourful images of 26 named items, each one starting with a different letter of the alphabet. Each item appears twice in the pack. These cards also have square corners.
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Above: Classic Card Games for Kids Alphabet pack published by Paul Lamond Games, London, printed by Games & Print Services, Canvey Island, UK, 2002. 2 x 26 cards, + 2 (identical) Jokers. Size: 56 x 87 mm.
Rules book
An A5 book contains rules for 22 different card games which can be played with the three different packs contained in the boxed set. See the rules
It seems quite likely that the same designer created all three packs. Is “BS Randle” his/her name? © 2002 BS Randle. Twenty-two years after it was first issued, this set can still be purchased at: Mulberry Bush online and John Lewis►
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By Roddy Somerville
Member since May 31, 2022
Roddy started collecting stamps on his 8th birthday. In 1977 he joined the newly formed playing-card department at Stanley Gibbons in London before setting up his own business in Edinburgh four years later. His collecting interests include playing cards, postcards, stamps (especially playing cards on stamps) and sugar wrappers. He is a Past President of the Scottish Philatelic Society, a former Chairman of the IPCS, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Curator of the WCMPC’s collection of playing cards. He lives near Toulouse in France.
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