Danbrit
Danbrit playing cards by Alf Cooke, 1930s
Danbrit playing cards by Alf Cooke, 1936
Above: seven cards and the Joker from pack made for export to Denmark. Manufactured by The Universal Playing Card Co. Ltd, Leeds, c.1936, and issued as 'Danbrit' No.215. Indices are A, K, D and Kn with small icons representing the respective ranks of K & Kn.
Note from Peter Burnett
While I was cataloguing the Danbrit pack in the Bodleian Library I found your useful Danbrit article on WOPC and saw that you only displayed 7 court cards. Please find attached the 12 courts courtesy of the Donald Welsh collection - PB.
Above: images courtesy of the Donald Welsh collection.
Note from Roddy Somerville
Here are a couple more images for the Danbrit page. They are 1) a contract bridge score card, one of several back designs produced for this pack, a wrapper, and 2) the front of a box . As I understand it, several grades of this pack were produced. No. 210 has a fabric finish and plain corners. No. 230 has an ivory finish and gilt corners. No. 215 also exists but I don't know what distinguishes it from the others. • Zoom the embossed seal
Above: a contract bridge score card, one of several back designs produced for Danbrit packs, and a sealed wrapper.
See also: Universe No.100 Romanian Icelandic Chess 501 L.G. Sloan Ltd History of Alf Cooke.
By Simon Wintle
Spain • Member since February 01, 1996
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
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