Mother Goose’s Party, or Merry Game of Old Maid
Mother Goose’s Party, or Merry Game of Old Maid, McLoughlin Bros., Inc., USA, 1887.
Mother Goose’s Party, or Merry Game of Old Maid, McLoughlin Bros., Inc., USA, 1887. The game is essentially a version of “Old Maid”, a matching game with one odd card. “Mother Goose's Party” refers to the nursery rhymes found on all of the cards. You have to love the pictures! See the Rules►
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
Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.
Woodblock and Stencil Joker
A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.
Lend Me Five Shillings
or “Her Majesty’s Privy Purse” - a merry round-the-table game published by D. Ogilvy.
Laughing Made Easy
a Victorian card game published by D. Ogilvy.
Music playing cards
Portraits of 13 classical music composers.
So-Lah – A Game of Music
An early 20th century domino-type musical card game by Goodall.
Word Making and Word Taking
How crossword and spelling games became popular.
Star Trek II • The Wrath of Khan
This deck is a vibrant photographic tribute to "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," one of the most be...
The Search for New Games in the late 19th century
A few new games survived and are still around today; most came and went and are only witnessed in th...
Norfin® Trolls
Troll dolls with gaudy hairstyles in a multitude of different costumes.
Impressionist Art Cards
Details of 13 paintings by 8 different Impressionist artists on elongated cards.
Safety playing cards
Safety playing cards designed to reinforce the “Think and Be Safe” concept.
Politicards 2016 & Politikids 2016
Politicards™ 2016 & Politikids 2016: twin decks of satirical playing cards produced by Peter Green f...
K Deck
“K Deck” political playing cards, USA, c. 2004.
Tuxedo playing cards
Stylish ‘Tuxedo’ playing cards with animal faces created by Natalia Silva, USA, 2016.
The Deck of Hillary
‘The Deck of Hillary’ with quotes and photographs of Hillary Clinton, USA, 2003.
Shakespeare playing cards: Insults
Shakespeare Insults playing cards with portraits by Jan Padover, USA, 2005.
Shakespeare playing cards: Quotes
Shakespeare playing cards: Quotes, the first volume of a double set published by Prospero Art of San...
Old Testament playing cards
Old Testament playing cards with illustrations by Jan Padover, USA, 2012.
Politicards 2008
Politicards ’08 with caricatures cast as characters from classic movies, USA.
Starz behind bars
Starz behind bars playing cards with mug shots of the rich and famous under arrest, USA, 2003.
House of Cards: Deck of Bush
House of Cards: Deck of Bush playing cards presenting reasons not to re-elect President Bush for a s...
Southern Comfort
Southern Comfort whiskey playing cards, USA.
Holy Trinity Church playing cards
Holy Trinity Church commemoration playing cards, USA, 2011.
Batman® playing cards
Characters from Batman: The Animated Series on a pack issued in 1992.
FDR New Deal Deck
Facsimile of ‘FDR New Deal Deck’ of 1934 re-published by Bill Schroeder, USA, 2010.
Gay / Really straight Republican hypocrites
Gay / Really straight Republican hypocrites, USA, 2008
Politically Wild John McCain
“Politically Wild John McCain” published by Newt’s Playing Cards, USA, 2008.
Mohegan Sun playing cards
Mohegan Sun playing cards published by Gemaco for Mohegan Sun casino.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! playing cards
Strange facts from Robert Ripley’s ‘Believe It or Not’ books, in the form of cartoons.
Undressed deck
Undressed deck created by Edi Rudo and Néro Catineau, USA, 2020.
Fate fortune telling cards
Fate fortune telling cards published by Merrimack Publishing Corporation, USA.
Politicards 2004
Politicards 2004 with satirical cartoons by the award-winning illustrator Peter Green, USA.
Politicards 1971
Politicards 1971 for the presidential election in which Richard Nixon won a landslide victory.
Politicards 1996
Politicards ’96 with satirical caricatures on every card by Peter Green, USA.
Politicards 1984
Politicards 1984 with caricatures by Donald Gates, published by the Kamber Group, USA.
Politicards 1980
Politicards 1980 in which Ronald Reagan defeated the incumbent Jimmy Carter, with caricatures by Kei...
Card Tricks
Stereotypical representations of gay men and men they most admire, in a 1981 pack from San Francisco...
Royal flash playing cards
Royal flash playing cards with non-standard suits, USA, 1974.
Ms. playing cards
‘Ms. playing cards’ promoting votes for women, USA, 1975.
Old Met playing cards
Old Met playing cards published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, USA, 1986.
Don Quixote playing cards
Don Quixote playing cards designed by Nam Tibon, USA, 2016.