Period Pieces

Published November 12, 2019 Updated May 12, 2022

National Trust Period Pieces Antiques Game produced in 1976 by Dinosaur Publications.

1976 United Kingdom Dinosaur Publications Ltd National Trust Card Games

‘Period Pieces’ Antiques Game produced for the National Trust by Dinosaur Publications in 1976. This card game comprises 11 sets of 4 cards depicting different classes of item from one of four eras: Jacobean, Georgian, Victorian or Modern plus 4 wild cards called “House Cards”, and a rules card printed on both sides. The game is played somewhat like Rummy, with players seeking to make sets of 3 or 4 cards of either the same period or object, scoring points as depicted by the numbers on the cards (1-11) or 20 for a house card. Points are deducted for cards left in one's hand at the end of a round. The winner is the first person to achieve a target score, as decided by players in advance. See the Rules

National Trust Period Pieces Antiques Game produced in 1976 National Trust Period Pieces Antiques Game produced in 1976 National Trust Period Pieces Antiques Game produced in 1976

Above: Period Pieces Antiques Game produced for the National Trust in 1976 by Dinosaur Publications. No mention of the manufacturer on cards or box.

National Trust Period Pieces Antiques Game produced in 1976
avatar
307 Articles

By Matt Probert

Member since March 02, 2012

I have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.

Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.

Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.

I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.

Related Articles

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.

2018 Christmas Carols

Christmas Carols

Christmas Carols playing cards illustrated by Stuart Dilks

1798 Pam is the Knave of Clubs

Pam is the Knave of Clubs

Playing cards as metaphors in 18th century art - from fate, chance and social hierarchy t...

1920 Question and Answer Games

Question and Answer Games

A card game called “Impertinent Questions and Pertinent Answers” was launched in the early 1920s by ...

1711 Dr Sacheverell

Dr Sacheverell

Dr. Henry Sacheverell's impeachment in 1710 sparked widespread public unrest and political upheaval,...