Thomas Wheeler
Thomas Wheeler appears in directories at 2 Richbell St (1799), 8 Middle Row, Holborn (1801), 118 Holborn Hill (1802-07) and 127 Holborn Hill (1807-21).
Thomas Wheeler, London, 1799-1821
Thomas Wheeler appears in Post Office directories (and other similar sources) at 2 Richbell St (1799), 8 Middle Row, Holborn (1801), 118 Holborn Hill (1802-07) and 127 Holborn Hill (1807-21). His early cards are particularly crude, as illustrated below. They are a poor copy of the courts produced by Hall at the time.
However, Thomas Wheeler soon changed to a more usual style of court like those of Brotherton.
Thomas Wheeler also produced Ludlow’s Knights Cards around 1800. These were an attempt to introduce some innovations such as double-ended pip cards and in a second version double-ended courts. The design of the courts is even cruder than usual and the double-ended ones are not even mirror images.
Many Wheeler Aces turn up in what are most likely to be second-hand packs, because the courts don’t match the Ace.
References:
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
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