Shapely

Published August 30, 2014 • Updated January 14, 2025

“Shapely” non-standard adult playing cards manufactured by Angel Playing Cards Co., Japan, 1980

“Shapely” non-standard adult playing cards manufactured by Angel Playing Cards Co., Japan, 1980. Strange erotic designs on the courts and jokers with figs, pomegranates, butterflies, flowers and horses etc covering the private parts. All four ‘Jacks’ are female. 4 illustrated aces. The artist is unknown and not credited.

The social and sexual liberation of the 1960s had a lasting impact and nudity was becoming more common as attitudes towards sex and the human body relaxed. This trend was not universally accepted however, and there was significant debate and controversy surrounding the increased visibility of nudity in the media.

Above: “Shapely” non-standard adult playing cards manufactured by Angel Playing Cards Co., Japan, 1980. Images courtesy Rex Pitts.

Note from Roddy Somerville

Angel produced another version of this erotic pack but this time on elongated cards. The private parts are now hidden by horned animals, roses, birds and snails (or a mask in the case of the Joker). Of the four aces, only the Ace of Spades is decorated. The pips on the numeral cards are arranged in a non-standard fashion - RS.

“Shapely” non-standard adult playing cards manufactured by Angel Playing Cards Co., Japan, c.1980

Above: “Shapely” adult playing cards (elongated version) manufactured by Angel Playing Cards Co., Japan, c.1980. 52 cards + 2 (identical) Jokers in clear plastic box. Size: 60.5 x 120 mm.

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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.