Philips Sept Familles
“Philips Sept Familles” promotional happy families game from the 1970s
A nice souvenir from the 1970s promoting Philips appliances
featuring different models of radios, lighting, turntables, etc.


Above: the box. The back has a blank panel for retailers to insert their own address.

Above: the reverse. The complete set contains 42 cards plus a rules card and two extra explanatory cards, all written in French. All images courtesy Rex Pitts.
While Philips' first product was manufactured in 1891, the first product that would fit in the Consumer Electronics division was a television, experimentally manufactured in 1925. In 1927 Philips began producing radios. Only five years later Philips had sold one million of them. Another major product release came in 1963, the Compact Cassette. [Source Wikipedia] read more →

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.
Related Articles

Le Journal de Mickey
Perforated sheet of cards with Disney characters issued with the magazine Le Journal de Mickey.

Tarot hiéroglyphique égyptien
The design of the cards draws inspiration from various religious and philosophical traditions merged...

La Réussite (Sébastien Féraut)
Sébastien Féraut’s designs inspired by the animal kingdom for a set promoting patience games.

More Menthol Filter Cigarettes
Elongated cards with designs by Wong Yui Man advertising More cigarettes.

Le Tarot de Sète
Reinterpretation of the Tarot de Marseille by Julien Labat, an artist from Sète.

Oracle Rock
Cartomantic set depicting rock and pop stars, designed by La Rata, with a book by Virginie Despentes...

Jockey Club de Buenos Aires
Spanish-suited pack by Chas Goodall & Son Ltd for the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires.

Jeu Numismatique
European coins of all periods replace the traditional courts and pips.

Jeu Philatélique
Cards with French postage stamps featuring famous literary figures.

Tarot Philatélique
Tarot game pack with French postage stamps on all the courts, aces and trumps.

Jeu Philatélique – Les Colonies Françaises
Philatelic card game featuring real postage stamps from the French colonies.

Tarot Actuel 1984
Major arcana to cut out, issued with the French magazine Actuel, using photographic images.

Spanish pattern by Eugène Boisse
Spanish pattern published by Eugène Boisse, Bordeaux.

Catalan pattern by B.P Grimaud
Standard Spanish Catalan pattern deck made in Paris by B.P Grimaud.

Cartes politiques : Jeu d'actualité
Political playing cards published by Grimaud et Chartier, Paris, 1872.

Le Poker Politique
French politicians and various world leaders caricatured by the German artist Bubec.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days