Toby’s Family Playing Cards

Published August 10, 2016 • Updated June 29, 2022

“Toby’s Family Playing Cards” published by G. Heath Robinson & J. Birch Ltd, London, 1920s.

Toby’s Family Playing Cards published by G. Heath Robinson & J. Birch Ltd, London, are a spin-off from the illustrated children’s magazine “Toby” which was published during the 1920s, based on Punch & Judy. (G. Heath Robinson was the younger brother of W. Heath Robinson). The object of the game is to complete the largest number of sets, as explained in the Rules►

Box from “Toby’s Family Playing Cards” published by G. Heath Robinson & J. Birch Ltd, London, 1920s

Above: the box, front & back.

Above: “Toby’s Family Playing Cards” published by G. Heath Robinson & J. Birch Ltd, London, 1920s.

REFERENCES and CREDITS

Hayter, John: Toby’s Family Playing Cards, Newsletter of the English Playing Card Society, October 2004, p.108.

Reverse from “Toby’s Family Playing Cards” published by G. Heath Robinson & J. Birch Ltd, London, 1920s

775 Articles

By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

United Kingdom • 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.