Noah’s Ark Card Game

Published December 09, 2015 • Updated March 09, 2022

Noah’s Ark Card Game, c.1905, which in its day helped to teach the Old Testament worldview

Noah's Ark family card game, first published by De la Rue for Gibson’s Games in c.1905, involves collecting matching sets of animals - father, mother, and the baby – which are placed face upwards and said to have entered the ark. There are 17 sets in total, each with different point values, plus a single card representing Noah, who plays a decisive role in the game. The antique chromolithographic illustrations of farm and zoo animals, which in their day helped to teach the Old Testament worldview, have been re-printed several times. See the Rules→

Noah from De la Rue’s Noah’s Ark card game, c.1905

Box from De la Rue’s Noah’s Ark card game, c.1905

De la Rue’s Noah’s Ark card game, c.1905

Above: De la Rue’s Bible-friendly Noah’s Ark card game, c.1905. 52 cards in telescopic box.

Back from De la Rue’s Noah’s Ark card game, c.1905

Thos De La Rue & Co. Games Leaflet, c.1905

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By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

United Kingdom • 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.