Our Kings and Queens
An historical & educational card game designed and published by Mazawattee Tea Co., Ltd, London, c.1902
“Our Kings and Queens”
The Great Historical Game designed and published by Mazawattee Tea Co., Ltd, London, E.C.
The Mazawattee Tea Co’s promotional card game “Our Kings and Queens” was first published in around 1901 or soon after and depicts British monarchs from William I to Edward VII. There were probably tokens packed with the tea and customers collected them for a pack of this game, which has an obvious educational benefit. The aim of the game is to collect ‘families’ of monarchs. At the same time, the backs of the cards advertise tea, cocoa and chocolate drinks. The set contains 38 cards + the Rules.

Click on box to zoom→
See also Wikipedia: Mazawattee Tea Company→

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

The Molassine Company and its link to Whist and Bridge
A savvy marketing strategy blending Victorian decorative design with Edwardian practicality.

Waddington’s faux books
Waddington’s faux book set containing four packs of playing cards and bridge markers.

Double Dummy Bridge
In the early 20th century several firms began to promote whist or bridge as a game for two.

Ogdens Beauties & Military cigarette cards
Cigarette cards featuring beauties and military uniforms with playing-card insets.

Boddingtons Bitter playing cards
Cool-looking courts advertising Boddingtons Bitter, originally brewed in Manchester.

AKA M5 Motorway
Promotional playing cards for the Hungarian M5 Toll Motorway between Budapest and Röszk.

OXO Faces of the Millennium Dinner
Twentieth-century personalities promoting a millennium dinner at the Oxo Tower in London.

Pathé Marconi
Special promotion pack for French record company Pathé Marconi.

Kids Fun Box playing cards
Colourful cards for children with four non-standard suits connected with the natural world.

Tangle Foot Ale
Badger Brewery Tangle Foot strong ale advertising pack.

ViVa Bourg
A distinctive deck of cards for a specific promotion.

Dancing
“Dancing” playing cards manufactured by Nintendo for Torii Dance School, Osaka.

Scientific Whist
“Scientific Whist” : standard cards with instructions for play on the faces by Chas Goodall & Son, 1...

Agent Provocateur
Branded lingerie collection in a pack of pin-up playing cards.

Shin-Tōmei Expressway Opening Commemoration
Promotional playing cards for the Shin-Tōmei Expressway, a major Japanese expressway that opened in ...

Nimbus playing cards
Mike Steer’s weather-themed pack with suits in four colours and backs for cardistry.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days