A New Look at the Evolution of Whist Markers and Gaming Counters

ANew Look at the Evolution of Whist Markers and Gaming Counters his article aims to illustrate the evolution of whist and gaming counters from the 18th century to the 20th. All of the items used to illustrate this Tdevelopment are taken from my own collections. I have concentrated the story on what was happening in Britain, and will leave parallel developments in the USA for another occasion.

Card games and various forms of whist have been around in Britain for hundreds of years. Most games were originally scored with the use of counters. My earliest examples, dating from the 18th Century, are ornate mother of pearl counters imported from the Far East in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Crafted between 1720 and 1840, almost all of these are highly decorated with patterns, scenes, animals and birds, coats of arms and the like, and justify very close inspection. Here are just three of four trays from my collection.

This one is enlarged from the top right-hand tray to give an idea of the detail and craftmanship involved. It is 6.5 cm in length, and is larger than many of the others which are equally ornate.

These particular examples were crafted chiefly for players in Great Britain, and were used in all the fashionable card games of the period. Specific coats of arms on some counters were presumably made to order which illustrates the extent and nature of trade at this time between the two countries.

Above: A tray of ornate mother-of-pearl gaming counters from the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Above: Fish-shaped mother-of-pearl gaming counters, showing the variety of imported designs.

Above: Rectangular mother-of-pearl gaming counters with engraved decorative scenes and patterns.

Above: An enlarged mother-of-pearl counter with an engraved coat of arms, illustrating the detail of these early gaming pieces.

From about 1840, whist became the primary game of choice for socialising and gambling, so production and importing the more delicate style of counter declined in favour of more hardy alternatives.

In Georgian Britain gambling was a major pastime amongst the gentry and upper classes, as well as working people. Card games, and in particular whist, were one of the main means of gambling which took place in clubs, coffee houses and peoples’ homes. There were, therefore, a wide variety of options for counting wins and losses.

One substitute for gambling directly with cash were bone counters such as these with the different colours and sizes awarded different monetary values..

Above: Bone gaming counters in various colours and sizes, used to record monetary stakes at the card table.

Above: Metal gaming counters, including pieces designed to resemble coins but used to track scores or stakes.

Above: A decorative metal gaming token featuring a seated figure.

Above: A metal token bearing the motto “Keep Your Temper.”

The metal counters on the right are dated 1701 but are almost certainly of much later origin and designed not to be confused with genuine coins.

A wide variety of purpose-made metal counters were available, such as these. I particularly like those with homilies such as “Keep your Temper” (middle) and ““To Hanover” (right) which were commonplace. Some brass tokens were deliberately designed in such a way as to distinguish them easily from the coins of the realm. The one on the right (above), produced sometime after 1870, is inscribed with an early advert for J. Sainsbury. But scoring methods were not confined to counters of various types. One of my earliest examples is a Georgian papier-mache snuff box with a revolving ivory wheel on the lid which, when rotated, reveals the numbers from 1 to ten (in the form of an

X). This could have been placed on the card table to the “gentleman’s” left, to fulfill its dual purpose when playing whist. This could have been used any time between 1730 and 1830 but one can only wonder what the effect of its secondary function would have had on the play of the cards!

Above: A decorative metal gaming token inscribed “Keep Your Temper.”

Above: A group of decorative metal gaming counters, including tokens with inscriptions and raised designs.

Above: A brass gaming token carrying an early J. Sainsbury advertisement.

Above: A metal counter dated 1798 and decorated with a crowned coat of arms.

One of my prized possessions is this tiny, ivory screw-top pod (2.5 cm across the lid) containing a set of four counters marked with one, two, three and four clubs. The lid is beautifully carved in the form of a flower and there is the tiniest “club” at the centre.

These can be found in a variety of

materials, particularly metal or ivory, designed to use the so-called “Hoyle’s Method” of scoring. Using these counters in appropriate combinations, every score from one to ten can be shown ie. 3 + 4 = 7, 2+3+4 = 9 etc.

Although beautifully made and very stylish, there must surely have been an easier way of recording scores up to ten.

Above: A red papier-mâché whist counter with an ivory scoring wheel.

Above: Open red papier-mâché case for the ivory-wheel whist counter.

Above: Four ivory counters marked with one to four clubs, shown with their carved screw-top container.

Above: Whist scoring counters arranged in pairs, showing the use of discs to record points.

Sometimes coins and other discs without dots were frequently used in fours to reduce the number of counters deployed at any one time. The discs were arranged in two rows. Each coin on the top row indicated three points, each on the bottom, one point.

Thus: O O O O O O

O O equals 5 points; O O shows 8 and O ten. My best example of this is a tiny (2.9 cm) mother of pearl container with a screw-top lid and four discs inscribed with a club, a diamond, a heart and a spade.

Above: An early De La Rue “New Whist Counter” in its paper sleeve.

Above: The reverse of the De La Rue “New Whist Counter,” with score indicators.

Above: A mother-of-pearl screw-top container with four suit-marked scoring discs.

Above: A circular whist counter with a central pointer and numbered score dial.

Most of these tokens were capable of

being used in a wide variety of gambling card games associated with the period. But as whist began to take over as by far the most popular card game, markers were designed specifically for this purpose.

“The New Whist Counter” was one of the first contributions of the De La Rue company to the card-playing world. It is a remarkable survivor, comprising a strip of thin card along which can be drawn a further piece of card with a window to indicate the score. The company was founded by Thomas de la Rue, who moved from Guernsey to London in 1821 and eventually became a stationer and printer. In 1831 he secured a Royal Warrant for his business to produce playing cards. This early whist marker must have been one of his earliest productions. Collectors beware; there are a lot of fakes on the market, although this one is genuine.

Above: Two wooden circular whist counters with hand-shaped pointers.

Above: A wooden circular whist counter with an ivory hand-shaped pointer.

Above: A metal whist counter with a hand-shaped pointer and numbered dial.

Above: A metal whist counter marked with a crowned emblem and numbered edge.

It is impossible to tell whether the New Whist Marker was sold in this form, or on a card sheet which the purchaser would cut themselves. This latter option seems the most likely given the lack of precision in the cutting. It was also the earliest example I can find of a specifically designed marker for which each pair at the whist table would have their own marker – hence the black and the red options.

Also made primarily for the whist table were a variety of discs with moveable indicators scoring from one to ten.

These ebony, rosewood and ivory examples are typical of markers produced for “long whist” (see below) any time from the early 1800s.

Above: Another hand-pointer whist counter with a numbered dial.

Above: A simple circular whist counter with a central double-ended pointer.

Above: A pair of ornate circular whist counters with numbered dials.

Above: A circular “Long Whist” counter with a central pointer.

A similar design in brass was fairly common. These look identical, but on closer inspection they can be seen to work rather differently. On the left-hand side, the hand alone moves on a central pivot, while the one on the right has a moveable ring of numbers which rotate around a hand which is fixed to the base.

Both of these have similar markings on the back (middle picture), indicating their purpose and date of manufacture. From 1842 to 1883 all new registered designs were required to carry this “kite” mark, confirming that they are registered and the date of registration, in this case 31 January 1860.

There were many variations of this design. The two in the middle and on the right below predate the requirement to be registered. The middle pair have a resounding “click” on each number when rotating the pointer.

By the middle of the 19th Century the traditional “Long Whist” method of scoring was rapidly being overtaken by a shorter version of the game. Long whist was played until one of the pairs reached a score of ten points and the rubber was won by the first pair to win two games ie. 2 - 0 or 2 - 1; Short whist became more popular because it was played to a score of only five and was therefore completed much more quickly, ideal for gambling purposes.

Above: A De La Rue Cavendish Whist Marker combining Long Whist and Short Whist scoring.

Above: The decorated face of a Cavendish Whist Marker by De La Rue & Co.

Above: A dark wooden Cavendish Whist Marker with brass-coloured scoring indicators.

Above: A Cavendish Whist Marker showing its full set of sliding indicators and numbered side tab.

As early as 1868, De La Rue produced, and patented, a revolutionary design for a marker for short whist which they continued to promote for the rest of the century. To give it the biggest boost possible they signed up “Cavendish” (ie. Henry Jones, 1831- 1899), probably the leading author on Whist and other card games at this time, to endorse and promote it. It comprised two sheets of stiff card stapled together with brass studs and containing a series of slide markers.

The five round slide markers at the top and right-hand side are used to indicate points won; the sliders on the left, the number of games played. Each pair in the foursome would have their own marker to be adjusted at the end of every hand.

Whole most of this design was made from pressed card, a much more expensive version was manufactured using thin sheets of wood.

Above: A double-sided Whist Marker for Long Whist and Short Whist scoring.

Above: Reverse of the Whist Marker, showing Cavendish’s Short Whist scoring rules.

Above: A Goodall & Son Whist Marker combining Long Whist and Short Whist scoring.

Above: A decorated Goodall & Son Whist Marker with separate Long Whist and Short Whist dials.

Both De La Rue and Goodalls also produced a much simpler design which became very popular and was subsequently copied by many other producers. The two companies used a slightly different arrangement of the circles to cater for both the long and short forms of the game as both were still being played.

This first example is from De La Rue with Rules and score chart on the back by “Cavendish”, together with adverts for two of his books.

A similar design was used by Goodall and son. The earliest example (on the left) is made from card and the back is blank. The other two are made from some form of “leatherette” on card and carry rules and information from “Captain Crawley”

Above: A red Goodall & Son Whist Marker with Long Whist and Short Whist scoring circles.

Above: Three different Whist Marker designs, showing alternative arrangements for Long Whist, Short Whist and rubber scoring.

Above: An ornate Whist Marker with Long Whist and Short Whist scoring dials.

Above: A boxed Pall Mall Whist Marker with contrasting wooden markers.

(George Frederick Pardon, 1824-1884) another well-known whist author of the period. All of these examples could be used for Long or Short whist by reference to the lower circle, while the upper circle or indicator was used for multiplying stakes when used for gambling.

There were many different versions of basically the same design from a variety of manufacturers, and in a range of materials from card to plastic.

All such markers could be purchased in pairs, or as part of a boxed set, with cards and “pocket guides” containing the basic rules and methods of play.

Above: The front of a Pall Mall Whist Marker in contrasting woods.

Above: The reverse of a Pall Mall Whist Marker, showing its maker’s label.

Above: Two Pall Mall Whist Markers in contrasting wood combinations.

Above: Two Camden Whist Markers, showing dark and light wood versions.

De La Rue’s slider and the rotating circle designs were overtaken in the 1870s by Goodall & Son, with the development of a variety of wooden markers ingeniously designed with a series of “pop-up” tabs or indicators to be raised or lowered as the game progressed. The large tabs indicate points scored; the three smaller tabs, the number of games won.

They came with a variety of names – “Pall Mall”, Camden” - and were made in a wide range of materials which was reflected in the price. The cheapest, under each heading, were made with woods of various contrasting colours. The most expensive from hard woods such as ebony, with indicators made from ivory.

The most basic example was the “Pall Mall”. Each of the Pall Mall series has the makers logo on either the front (left) or back (right), though why this variation was made is unclear. All were made in contrasting woods.

, . Some, perhaps later, had a much more elaborate design on the front.

Above: A wooden whist marker with ivory indicators, one of the simpler contrasting-wood designs.

Above: The Camden Tom Thumb Whist Marker with its red leatherette case and scale for comparison.

Above: A standard Camden Whist Marker beside a smaller Camden Tom Thumb marker.

Above: Two Pelham Whist Markers supplied by Boots cash chemists.

My personal favourites amongst these earliest Goodall markers are the appropriately named “Camden Whist Markers, echoing the Camden Town location of the Goodall factory. This design and sheer tactile quality of this genuine antique was irresistible. One of these started my interest in whist markers, and now I have more than a few! Incredibly, after 150 years or so, they all work as well as they did when they were made. A remarkable design and engineering achievement. It was also a design which was ripped off (sorry, used) by just about every other manufacturer of whist and gaming markers at this time and later, both in this country and overseas.. As far as I am aware the original designer is unknown and therefore has not been awarded the credit that he (or she) deserves.

Some are marked “Entered at Stationers Hall” (ie. patented) like the one on the left, while the earlier version (in the centre) does not. On some, the tabs were made of plastic, bone or the most expensive versions in ivory.

These standard size markers are 9.5 x 5 cms. Goodalls also produced a mini version. This pair is in a red leather case and appropriately designated “The Camden Tom Thumb” (5.8 x 3.2 cms). On the right I have photographed the Tom Thumb next to a standard Camden marker to show the relative sizes.

Above: A black whist marker with ivory indicators and a personalised monogram.

Above: The reverse of the personalised black whist marker, showing the Camden Whist Marker label.

Above: A Camden Combined Cribbage & Whist Marker with its sliding scoring piece.

Above: The scoring side of the Camden Combined Cribbage & Whist Marker, with numbered holes and indicators.

Some of the standard size versions were labelled with the name of the retailer, in this case “Pelham”, the Boots cash stationers. Interestingly there is no reference to Goodall & son who made them..

Some examples were personalised, presumably as presents, as with this modified version of the Camden Whist Marker in ebony and ivory which has an embossed metal design of the recipient’s initials (ACH). It is unlikely that this modification was undertaken by Goodall; more likely by an unnamed silversmith elsewhere. The other half of this pair may still be out there somewhere.

Goodall & Son bult on their basic design to produce a version of the marker which catered for both whist and, another popular game of the late 19th century, cribbage. A cheaper version was available in contrasting woods While the more expensive pair were in hardwoods with ivory indicators.

Above: A dark Camden Combined Cribbage & Whist Marker with its ivory scoring piece.

Above: The scoring side of the dark Camden Combined Cribbage & Whist Marker, numbered from 1 to 60.

Above: A decorative whist marker with ivory indicators and a floral design.

Above: Plain reverse of the decorative whist marker.

Once the basic Goodall design was in the market place, there were many copiers in this country and all over the world producing versions in a wide range of different and more exotic materials to cater for wealthier players. This one has a flowery design and ivory indicators on the top, has a base covered in flecks of gold.

I regret that I do not own any of the immaculately worked examples in gold and/or silver to illustrate, but I do have two pairs of exquisite Japanese “Shibayama” markers made for the British and European markets. These are lacquered, painted and inlaid with mother of pearl, coral and a variety of semi-precious stones.

The origin of this next pair of similar design is uncertain but look more continental than British or Japanese. They are made from a highly decorated ivory overlay enclosing a wooden base.

There was certainly much competition from across the channel. French manufacturers, developed similar markers both for the domestic market and for export. I have a few examples. The one on the left is nickel-plated made entirely in metal, and carries the title “Whist Marker Made in France” in English; clearly made for export to the UK. The other two are made from metal on a wooden base.

Above: An ornate Japanese-style whist marker with insect-decorated ivory indicators.

Above: A second Japanese-style whist marker with insect and floral decoration.

Above: Two black whist markers with highly decorated insect and plant motifs.

Above: A pair of floral whist markers with contrasting ivory and dark indicators.

. Some copies were even more basic.

The enthusiasm for whist encouraged a range of other, smaller manufacturers to turn their ingenuity to devising other ways of keeping score. There are many examples but I offer just three.

First, this ceramic design for Long whist was produced by Taylor Tunnicliffe around 1890.

Above: A metal Whist Marker Made in France, with detachable scoring pieces.

Above: The reverse of a French-made metal whist marker, showing its components.

Above: A French-made metal whist marker stamped by Arthaud & Cie, Pont-de-Roide.

Above: A wooden whist marker with metal sliding indicators.

The second, also designed for Long Whist, is one of the few markers I have found which includes the score for both partnerships on a single gadget. It is made from pressed card with two brass sliders.

And third, is a variant of the Goodall design, but not of Goodall manufacture. This one has an inscription to Hermann Hampe, Berlin, who I assume to be the owner of this marker not the producer. Manufacturer unknown.

Goodall & son did not rest on their laurels faced with competition from within Britain and overseas. They responded with the beautifully designed and extremely tactile “The Foster” whist marker endorsed by Robert Frederick Foster (1853 – 1945), author of over 50 books on the rules of play of card, dice and board games. Foster was Edinburgh born but emigrated to the States in his late teens and became one of the most powerful and influential characters in Whist and its evolution into Bridge. It was therefore good move for Chas Goodall to sign him up to promote the most tactile and delightfully designed marker of them all.

Above: A dark wooden whist marker with contrasting light indicators.

Above: A lighter wooden whist marker marked “WHIST.”

Above: A ceramic Long Whist marker with numbered holes and sliding indicators.

Above: The reverse of the ceramic Long Whist marker, showing its maker’s mark.

This marker had a distinctive look and action. Gone were the “pop-ups” of the Camden and Pall Mall to be replaced with smooth acting, rotating flippers revealing either a contrasting wood or an early plastic, bone or ivory.

So successful was this design that it was taken up by other retailers who made it distinctive by either detail or label or both. This one, for Mudies, claims to be “improved” but the only variation one can see is that some of the square indicators have been replaced with round ones. Not all that much of an improvement but different.

This advertisement for “Mudie’s Improved ‘Foster’ Whist Marker” appears in the back of “Foster’s Whist manual”, 2nd edition, 1891 published by Mudie & Sons, which indicates when this product first entered the market. (It was not advertised in the 1 edition, 1890.) A pair of Mudies version of The Foster Whist Marker retailed at 7/6.

Above: Close-up of the maker’s mark on the ceramic Long Whist marker.

Above: A red-and-black sliding Whist Marker with brass rails and indicators.

Above: A narrow wooden whist marker with separate sets of light and dark indicators.

Above: Maker’s inscription, “Hermann Hampe, Berlin W,” on the wooden whist marker.

The advert confirms that it was manufactured “Expressly for Mudie and son” but it does not say by whom (presumably Goodalls).

The practice of personalising these markers was not confined to English retailers. This example is from Edward Kimpton & Son of New York who clearly acknowledge both the patent and the manufacturer.

Not to be out-done, De La Rue struck back in 1901, somewhat belatedly, with their “Klik” series of markers based on a whole new mechanical structure.

To activate the mechanism users had to press a brass button on the base for the rectangular brass peg to spring out. I have three from this series and despite being 120-odd years old all work perfectly with the original and evident click that gave the markers their name. It strikes me as odd, however, that the label identifying the maker is on the bottom of the gadget when it is in use, as the buttons need to be available to use. I had thought that the original owner of this particular example had felt the need to add pads to the four corners in order, presumably, to protect the table on which the game was being played! However, I have since acquired several examples of this marker from different sources and all carry the same red corner pads, so I must assume that this was how they were originally sold.

Above: Advertisement for The Foster Whist Marker, patented and manufactured by Chas. Goodall & Son.

Above: Two boxed Foster Whist Markers in different wood finishes.

Above: The wooden and ivory indicators of a Foster Whist Marker.

Above: The box for Mudie’s Improved “Foster” Whist Marker.

The “Klik” series was advertised widely, including this example from the book “Games of Patience” by “Tarbart”, 1901.

As you can see, at this stage three types of marker were being promoted – the Whist Marker, The Rubicon Bezique Marker and the Combined Whist and Cribbage Marker.

As a collector of both whist and cribbage memorabilia I was thrilled to acquire a version of the last: What is not advertised at this point is a fourth item in this series – the Bridge marker – which is not surprising as the game had not yet been invented. However, ten years on and the Klik Bridge scorer was now available and, as I have discussed elsewhere, it was not a great success as paper and pencil quickly became seen as the easiest way to keep track of the game as it evolved.

Above: A Foster-style whist marker with round scoring indicators.

Above: Advertisement for Mudie’s Improved Foster’s Whist Marker, priced at 7/6 a pair.

Above: The Foster Whist Marker manufactured by Chas. Goodall & Son for Edward Kimpton in New York.

Above: The “Keik” Whist Marker by Thos. De La Rue & Co.

I’m still looking for the Klik Rubicon

Bezique marker.

Once the heyday of whist was over,

Above: Reverse of the “Keik” Whist Marker, showing its wooden construction.

Above: De La Rue advertisement for the Portland Bridge Case and the Klik series of markers.

Above: A wooden Klik combined Whist and Cribbage marker with domino-style scoring panels.

Above: A wooden Klik Rubicon Bezique marker with separate score indicators.

and most serious card players had transferred their allegiance to Contract Bridge from the 1930s, the need for scoring markers of this kind had just about gone. Producers of whist and card game-related items seem to have opted mainly for devices to remind all concerned of what was trumps, while scoring, as for bridge, was increasingly done with pen or pencil on paper.

You could fill a house with trump indicators, with different designs in every conceivable material, which for the most part I have managed to resist….well, mostly.

It is perhaps worth noting that the same process of competition in the production and development of whist markers, involving many of the same actors, was being played out in the design and promotion of equivalent markers made specifically for Piquet, Bezique and other games... and that, I’m afraid, is another collection which I could not resist, details of which can be found elsewhere on this site.