Doctor Busby
The Game of “Doctor Busby” published by Parker Brothers, Salem, Massachusetts, USA, c.1890.
The Game of “Doctor Busby” published by Parker Brothers, Salem, Massachusetts, USA, c.1890. “Dr Busby” is a matching game in which players in turn request cards from the person to their right, trying to complete a set, or ‘family’. The winner is the player who obtains all the complete sets. See the Rules►
Above: The Game of “Doctor Busby” published by Parker Brothers, Salem, Massachusetts, USA, c.1890. Images courtesy Rex Pitts.
The Game of “Doctor Busby” was the first American game to sell successfully. It is believed that it started the whole game craze in the country, beginning in 1843. The game was probably designed by Anne W. Abbott, of Salem, Massachusetts, and was first published by the W. and S.B. Ives Company in that city. Parker Brothers acquired the copyrignts in 1887 although versions exist by other game publishers of the period, sometimes with alternative spellings.
By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)
Member since January 30, 2009
Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many.
His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.
Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service.
Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.
His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.
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