2011 Worshipful Company Pack
Celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, with characters adapted from drawings by ‘Kyd’.
Master of the Worshipful Company for 2011-2012, Lance Whitehouse, chose the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens (1812-1870) as the subject for his Installation cards. The designer, Brad Baker, adapted coloured drawings by the artist known as ‘Kyd’ for the court cards and Jokers. These depict different named characters from Dickens’ novels. The Master’s portrait appears on the Ace of Spades, as is customary. The faces of the cards were deliberately ‘aged’ in order to look old. On the reverse are two images of Dickens together with the arms of the WCMPC. The pack with a plum border was sealed in cellophane while the one with a dark green border was wrapped in a copy of an old Goodall tax wrapper . The cards have gilt edges.
Above: 2011 Worshipful Company pack, designed by Brad Baker. Made by Richard Edward Ltd, Plumstead, for the WCMPC, London, UK, 2011. 2 x 52 cards + 3 Jokers + leaflet in maroon presentation box with outer sleeve. Size: 63 x 88 mm.
The Leaflet
click to zoom.
A second version of the pack was issued for The Lord Mayor of London 2011-2012, David Wootton, with some deliberate changes. The Master’s portrait was replaced by that of The Lord Mayor, with The Lord Mayor’s arms replacing those of the WCMPC. These cards are not gilt-edged, have a smaller leaflet and were produced in single packs • see the box . David Wootton was the Chairman of the Trustees of the Charles Dickens Museum in London.
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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