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Published April 27, 2014 Updated August 18, 2022

Brighter Families

“Brighter Families” promotional card game for Cosmos Lamps (Metrovick), 1930

1930 United Kingdom Alf Cooke / Universal Advertising Add to Collection

“Brighter Families” promotional card game for Cosmos Lamps (Metrovick), 1930

“The Mark of Efficiency”

“Brighter Families” promotional card game for Cosmos Lamps (Metropolitan Vickers), published in 1930, contains 8 families relating to Cosmos light bulbs, promoting their efficiency and longer life. As with many other British manufacturers of household products during this era, Metrovick published a considerable number of advertising backs for playing cards promoting their wares, as well as this full set of Happy Families cards. The ‘MV’ logo was subtitled “The Mark of Efficiency”.

assorted Cosmos Lamps advertising playing cards, c.1930

Above: “Brighter Families” promotional card game for Cosmos Lamps (Metrovick), 1930. 32 cards in box. Images courtesy Rex Pitts.

advertising deck for Cosmos Lamps by Universal Playing Card Co (Alf Cooke), c.1939

Above: advertising deck for Cosmos Lamps by Universal Playing Card Co (Alf Cooke), c.1939. Image courtesy Matt Probert.

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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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