Love Tests

Published March 16, 2025 Updated March 16, 2025

Vintage novelty “Love Test” cards of a slightly saucy nature but all in good fun!

1930 United Kingdom B. A. & Co Ltd Humour Miniature Card Games

I have a set of unusual vintage miniature cards that have been passed down the Family. I’m not sure how old they are or if they are playing cards or a game of some sort. They don’t have any instruction leaflet or box with them. There are a mixture of “love letters”, in the form of post cards, while others have caricatures of people on. The “love letters” are of a slightly saucy nature but all in good fun! I am unable to find out anything about these cards despite quite a bit of research and wondered if you had ever come across anything similar?

The cards do not appear to have been cut or “popped out” of any larger card or packaging, as the edges are very uniform and smooth. I'm not sure if they have been collected singly, over time, as three of the cards are duplicated (unless there was a second set at some point?). I have, as yet, been unable to find anything regarding the “address” or copyright info and am a little unsure what to do next. I guess the cards may date from the 1930s, as one card refers to “these days of cocktails, motor cars and backless bathing costumes”. A quick research of the backless bathing costume led me to the early 1930s! I asked my older sister if she had any idea of where the cards had come from. She remembered two old Aunties who loved card games and thought they may have come from them. I think they were born late 1800s so that would fit. My Mum and Dad were also lovers of card games - whist, canasta, bridge etc and often had card parties, so the Aunties may have passed them on to us because of that. They are printed on thick card. The set appears to comprise of five love letters, six caricatures of adults and seven of children and, finally, seven love tests.

“Love Tests” cards published by B. A. & Co Ltd London E.C.2, c.1930s “Love Tests” cards published by B. A. & Co Ltd London E.C.2, c.1930s “Love Tests” cards published by B. A. & Co Ltd London E.C.2, c.1930s

Above: Vintage novelty “Love Tests” cards published by B. A. & Co Ltd London E.C.2, c.1930s. 25 uncoloured cards only, no box or instructions. Size = 66x44 mms.

Reply: these cards would likely fall under the category of "novelty cards" or "fortune-telling cards". The content includes short, slightly saucy love letters, caricatures, generalised "love tests" with amorous predictions or playful forecasts about one's romantic future. Perhaps they were sold as small, inexpensive items for personal enjoyment or party fun, even won at the funfair for one penny. There isn’t any history available for “B. A. & Co Ltd London E.C.2” so probably it was a smaller or short-lived entity that specialized in novelty items like these cards, which might explain the limited available information today. The E.C.2 postcode was introduced in 1917 so that is the earliest date point. They are a charming curiosity of novelty items from the 1930s related to romance and amusement which no doubt your two aunties had some fun with in the good old days!

avatar
1 Article

By Lynda Cowling

Member since March 16, 2025

I have a set of unusual vintage miniature cards that have been passed down the Family.

Related Articles

1949 Briefmarken-Quartett

Briefmarken-Quartett

Quartet game featuring postage stamps from the Zones of Occupation in post-WWII Germany.

2008 Ben 10 playing cards

Ben 10 playing cards

Characters from the American animated television science fantasy series Ben 10.

1978 Doctor Who Trump Card Game

Doctor Who Trump Card Game

Game for two players in which Doctor Who and the Legendary Legion join battle with the Alien Hordes....

1999 Le Journal de Mickey

Le Journal de Mickey

Perforated sheet of cards with Disney characters issued with the magazine Le Journal de Mickey.

1992 Disney’s Aladdin playing cards

Disney’s Aladdin playing cards

Characters from the 1992 Disney film Aladdin.

2011 2011 Worshipful Company Pack

2011 Worshipful Company Pack

Celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, with characters adapted from drawings b...

1926 Jockey Club de Buenos Aires

Jockey Club de Buenos Aires

Spanish-suited pack by Chas Goodall & Son Ltd for the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires.

New interest in old games

New interest in old games

Games once fashionable are now eclipsed by quicker gratifications.

1999 Polygo™

Polygo™

Cards of irregular, four-sided shape for playing word and colour games as well as more traditional o...

1995 Treasures from the Bodleian Library

Treasures from the Bodleian Library

Rare books, manuscripts, music scores, portraits, maps, gospels, chronicles and other valuable artef...

1863 Victorian grocer’s scale plate

Victorian grocer’s scale plate

Large flat plate decorated with highly coloured English cards and royal arms.

2024 Queen of Arts

Queen of Arts

A wide variety of women artists celebrated on cards with illustrations by Laura Callaghan.

1990 The Glasgow Pack

The Glasgow Pack

Issued to celebrate Glasgow’s reign as European City of Culture in 1990, with city views and works o...

2007 Verkeers Kwartet

Verkeers Kwartet

A helpful quartet game celebrating the 75th anniversary of road safety exams making traffic safer.

2005 Pirritx eta Porrotx

Pirritx eta Porrotx

Happy Families card game from the Spanish Basque Country.

2018 Cathedrals, Abbeys & Minsters playing cards

Cathedrals, Abbeys & Minsters playing cards

54 pictures of different famous cathedrals, abbeys and minsters in England and Wales.