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Alibi

Published April 24, 2015 Updated August 14, 2024

“Alibi” the thrilling card game by Haytor, Tor Productions, 1930s.

United Kingdom Detective Card Games

“Alibi”

“Alibi” the thrilling card game by Haytor, Tor Productions, 1930s.

This card game has 51 cards with titles, numbers and pictures of crime, detection and punishment. Like the game “Krimo” and other crime games from the 1930s, it promotes the moral idea that crime will be detected and punished.

“Alibi” the thrilling card game by Productions, 1930s “Alibi” the thrilling card game by Haytor, Tor Productions, 1930s

Above: “Alibi” the thrilling card game by Haytor who published as Tor Productions, 1930s. Total 51 cards divided into 4 sets of 12 - Crime, Prosecution, Defense, and Alibi, with three additional cards - the ‘Prisoner’ and 2 ‘Surprise Witness’ cards which act as trumps. The box shows a burglar and some card players, whilst the reverse shows a detective who resembles Sherlock Holmes.

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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.


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