53: Some recent acquisitions and corrections

When I get new items for my collection, I sometimes add images and information about them to already existing pages. As my whole collection is now online on page 69, it is easier to list new or replacement acquisitions on this page, so that I don't have to keep renewing the existing linked pages with just one or two packs.

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UPDATES, REPLACEMENTS & CORRECTIONS

385: As most collectors no doubt do, when I get a better copy of a pack already in my collection, I swap it for the one I already have. So this pack is a replacement for an incomplete one by Hall. It only has 32 cards, so was presumably used for piquet (too early for bézique). The KH is interesting in that his sword has been removed. This is the section which normally has the initials 'HC' carved on it, probably indicating the block-maker, Henry Crick. The pack dates from c.1812.

595 A replacement example, as this one has a joker and the remains of a maker's wrapper: these cards were sold as Pantaloons, c.1900. Plus an unused maker's wrapper.

1830a Goodall G10 court set, AS and two pip cards. These courts are the first redrawing of the bridge-size cards (Society) before the take-over by De La Rue and their pips, except for the spades, are smaller than those of 1830. c.1920. These are the basis of the later De La Rue printing of the courts (GD10).

099 USPCC Congress double box with Art Deco backs 'On leash' and 'Promenade', to replace the pack listed on the Russell & Morgan/USPCC list, AS US6i, one dated 1928, one 1929, gold edges.

179 Originally this number was allocated to an example of Hanzel Green Club, but I disposed of it, as it wasn't really anything like the standard English pattern. This one, one might argue, is little better, though there are some identifiable features, e.g. KD, JC, JH, though some are in the wrong suit, e.g. QD = QS and JS and JD are switched. Still I like it! Pyramid PCC with unusual courts, c.1926.

263 Replacement for incomplete example: Hall Type II late style with features of Type I, AS A5 (48, third repair), c.1813

310 An addition to the item shown in my list making up a matching bézique set, Goodall G3, AS4, pip type 1a, c.1870. A back design that was clearly influenced by Owen Jones's work for De La Rue.

393 Goodall Type I to replace the odd cards on the list linked to page 69, c.1830

409 Replacement: Waddington W3.1, AS: 3, double bridge set in leather case, c.1938

604 Replacement: Waddington W3.1 courts for McIlwraith & McEacharn's Lines, M.V. Kanimbla, c.1938 (The Kanimbla was M.V. from 1936-39 only, after which she became HMS and then HMAS.)

631 Replacement: Goodall G3, Old Frizzle, 32 cards only, probably used for piquet, as it's too early for bézique, c.1860. Less black on roundel of JS's sleeve, blurred impression.

685 Replacement: Waddington W2.11 in the Pelham series, c.1935. Pelham was used as a brand by Boots, usually made by De La Rue; neither the series nor the back is mentioned in John Berry's book on the Waddington archive.

692 Replacement: Mesmaekers for French Line, the court design was taken over by Carta Mundi, c.1965, pink back (not blue), *9H.

753 Replacement: Goodall Prize Medal for Gas, GD9, Q-index 3, 1932-35 bridge score.

796 Universal: this is the pack with this number; the other pack listed is now a replacement for 1021.

806 Replacement: Liberty XUS9, similar to 084, c.1965

842a Goodall G4.21, as 842 but on thinner card, c.1885

862 Replacement: De La Rue bézique set for the Wills scheme, GD10, AS: 3, 8S & 8C upside down to back (3/5 instead of 5/3), same backs in each pack, one pack unopened, 1933

987 Replacement: Grimaud for David Westnedge and the André Robson bridge club, GDW13 with coloured faces. The courts have French-style pips and the number cards are side-squashed versions of those they use in widesize poker cards. c.2000

1000a Two De La Rue D5 packs with two D4.1 packs listed as 1000 in a four-pack bézique box and two types of marker, c.1872

1021 Replacement: Universal New Bond for Woolworth, U1 courts in three colours, in open tax wrapper, in original packed order, c.1936

1106 An omission from my original lists: Hong Kong for South African Airlines, CUS4.2, KD has no hand, c.1995

1131 Another omission: China 800 Giraffe, CUS3.6, a less common redrawing of CUS3.1. The QS hold a bulbous sceptre and the attribute of the JS has been redrawn so that it looks like two spools, c.1975

1197 Another omission: China all-plastic, large index with CUS4.2 courts, c.2005

1147 Replacement: Goodall Boudoir, GD10, Q-index 1, AS: 4.4, unnamed back, c.1926

1210 Replacement: Hunt Type I, AS: A5 (65, no repair), c.1818. This pack has later pip shapes which are usually found in packs with HB1 courts (see 352 & 1947); the difference is particularly noticeable in the spades.

1235 Replacement: Stancraft Mini Playing Cards, Slip-Eze, US10, c.1965

1287 Replacement: De La Rue D6 bézique set, two-way pips, booklet dated 1873 (second edition). This is a good piece of evidence as to when D6, the first set of turned courts, was introduced and also the double-ended pips.

1317 China 868 Goddess, CUS7, parts of design missing on some courts, c.2010

1364 Replacement: Goodall G4.5 as 1627, but smaller frames on the courts, c.1900

1367 Replacement: Clemente Jacques Cassino, large index, wide, c.1965

1381 Replacement: Now here's an unusual novelty. China all-plastic made from 30% plastic from the oceans (MOOP), the courts are the usual CUS7, but have been given smiles (just about!) rather than the usual grim mouths. Copyrighted 2021, but I bought them in 2023 at a gift shop in the nearby Suffolk town of Halesworth: they cost £10.

1389 Replacement: Goodall Imperial Club G6, shaved for conjuring purposes (biseauté) with an Egyptian agent's label (G. Zaffiri), c.1910

1396 I missed this pack off my Hasbro list on the American misc list. It's printed by Winning Moves, using the Waddington No.1 set-up with reduced frame on the courts and a special AS, 2000

1540 Replacement: Waddington Challenge, W5 courts with redrawn (damaged?) face on JC; silver gondolier backs, c.1935. This brand is not listed in John Berry's book on the Waddington archive.

1606 Replacement: ASS? for Philippine Airlines, copy of XUS3.1 turned, Carta Mundi pip cards, c.2010.

1625 Replacement: Camoin copy of US3 made to fit French-sized cards with French indices, pip cards and suit shapes. The Joker is based on Goodall's first joker design. No tax stamp. c.1920

1655 Replacement: Bancks HB1 & HB1.1 mix. Interesting mixed pack with even wear, so it looks like it occurred a long time ago. JD, 6/4C are by De La Rue (D5). The queens have small noses. c.1870

1665 Replacement: Universal De Luxe, U1 in four colours. This pack could be from the Wills gift scheme, as it is in a box also used by De La Rue for the scheme. The 1932-35 bridge score card is glued to the box.

1672 Replacement: Nordisk unusual copy of Whitman's US5.1 courts. This firm only lasted 1953-55.

1779 Replacement: USPCC Aristocrat Club Special for Rio Casino, Las Vegas, strangely coloured US7 courts, Russell AS, cartoon head on QH, 'Rio' on 10s to aces, 2000

1804a Goodall Camden bézique, G5 courts as 1804, two packs with markers. The label inside the box lid has the number 9492, not listed in Mike Goodall's book on the firm and the family. A gift from the Lady Mayoress of Norwich, bought in Ely. c.1898

1808 Replacement: China Superfly for Europe, CUS9, c.2015

1841 Replacement: Goodall Foster's Bridge for Mudie, G6, c.1913. This has the same box as 1974 below, except that the maker's name on the side is changed.

1843 Replacement: A cheap-grade, square-cornered pack with D6 courts in a box made for the stationer who sold it, c.1880. I have never seen a boxed square-cornered pack before with its own box: the card on the box matches the back design of the cards.

1919 Replacement: A tax-wrapped example of a De La Rue pack with the royal coats of arms on the reverse, marketed as Royal Victoria Cards, Highlanders. D4 courts, of which the queens have black eye dots, something I've never seen before, except on a Turnbull wood-block pack. The registration is poor: see especially the QD, so I expect that is why they were sold as Highlanders, the third quality. It is interesting that these have been given the name of Royal Victoria, as the Victorias were those small-size cards with continental pip signs (as 1986 above). I'm guessing that the black eye dots, which don't appear on later examples of D4, suggest an early date for this example of 1850-53.

1920 Replacement: China for John Lewis, CUS9.2 as 1383 but with normal frames, copy of USPCC AS, 2022

1925 Replacement: Now here's an oddity. Maspak all-plastic, possibly from India, all courts with their pip on the right, except the QS, who hasn't got one! All the kings and the QH are turned. ?c.1980

1938 Replacement: Handa Hombre pack, 40 cards. Odd courts with a lot of non-traditional features, with vague hints of Whitman's design, c.1950. This is one I've been after for a while.

1965 Replacement: China Crown all-plastic, CUS3.1, strange brick pattern on KD, Piatnik joker, c.2015

1974 Replacement: New York Consolidated Foster's Self-playing Bridge, US6. *A/QS. These appeared in 1903, replacing Dougherty's Self-playing Whist cards. There only seems to have been one series.

2005 Goodall/De La Rue Capital, GD12. These cards are the same as De La Rue 1879 with a different AS and back, c.1935

2006 Goodall Skat set, double box with rules, one pack has G4.31 courts, the other G5, a useful, dated indication of the use of these court types, 1890

2007 Goodall Heartsette for Herbert Fitch, G4.31 with four indices, special AH, plain AS. Special pack for the game of Hearts, 1887

2008 James English/T.I. & Co. advert pack with E2 courts. The AS has been altered at the bottom inside the garter, presumably after English sold off their card production, probably c.1902. I'm sure the later firm didn't last long in the market. This pack is far too good to end up as 'interesting singles'!

2009 Van Genechten Sport playing cards, Navy's, copy of NYCCC's turned courts, c.1900

2010 Piatnik 1350 Airport, PK2 courts, c.1965

2011 Anonymous, Belgian?, patience pack with courts derived from Goodall, index without suit sign on pip cards, c.1900

2012 Angel, Japan, all-plastic, copy of Whitman courts, one joker only, c.1975

2013 Goodall/London PC, G5.1, AS: 6, one-way pips (with inked-in indices), square corners, c.1900

2014 Whitaker BW2 with fancy pips and extra decoration on the clothing, red jacks have smaller frames, named Frizzle AS. The back design is one used by Van Genechten. c.1855. In a polished wooden box with pack 780.

2015 Hall late Type II with features associated with Type I, e.g. 'HC' on KH, who has no moustache, jagged design on QH's bodice rather than buttons. 30/52, *JS, KC + pip cards, AS: A5 (78, first repair). A couple of courts have been bent at the sides (secondary use), c.1810

2016 Willis Triplicate with WL2.1 courts. Sadly, this is incomplete (46/52) with four courts missing, but I've only ever seen a photocopy of one of these. The version with all the courts turned, including the kings, of which I know several examples, seems to be more common. c.1885

2017 Well, here's a boring pack, you might say! It is rather, except that (i) I haven't seen these courts on wide-size cards before (they're usually like the KH on the joker) and (ii) they were made in China! Look bottom left on the joker; it says the same on the box. The name Carta Mundi is written as one word on the AS. These are marketed as Royal Flush and sold at Tesco's. They cost £2 and I find it hard to understand the logic of having them sent half-way across the world to be sold at such a relatively low price. Of course, the same applies to the many even cheaper Chinese packs available all over the United Kingdom. What are Chinese workers paid? Incidentally, the standard size Royal Flush packs, also sold for £2, are made in Belgium. 2022

2018 De La Rue D1, first design, minor differences in the colour washes, brown, pale blue and flesh, c.1832. Compare with 001, 468 and 654.

2019 De La Rue bézique set, D5, AS: 1, Owen Jones back [214], in a wooden box, 1870

2020 Goodall bézique set, G8, AS: 4.4, booklet, 1924

2021 Goodall bézique set, G5.1, AS: 4.2, small indices, booklet, 1913. These courts, the larger size of which (G5) were used in the 1890s, were replaced by G6 in most cases after 1902, so it is interesting to see them used with the later squat indices. The WCMPC pack for 1902 has the same courts and indices (see no. 1803).

2022 Van Genechten for Reiss & Co., TR1.1, c.1880. I've only seen samples of these cards up until now, so a full pack is a real treat! The courts are double-ended versions of copies of Reynolds single-figure R1 courts, which are also found produced by Van Genechten and Brepols (see my pages on these makers).

2023 Samuel Hart, an unusual pack with gold on all cards (Dawson & Dawson NY31a). An attempt to turn the standard figures into real people with a couple of twists: the KS and KH figures have been switched and so too have the JS and the JH, though in the case of the JS, the figure is no longer in profile and he doesn't hold a staff (as the traditional JH does). There are alterations to the designs on the clothing, too. These cards are reminiscent of those by Van Genechten, though the Belgian makers sticks to the traditional postures in all the courts. I don't have any examples of the Belgian version, but below are four cards from a page of a sample book in the Turnhout Museum. (See also pages 19 and 22 for further images.)

2024 Hunt HB1, AS: A6 (99). *K/QS, *AD; KD has white back. The JH has no staff base on the right and the pips are later than those with AS A5. George IV garter aces seem to be less common than those with George III, which were used during the former's reign as well, and only three makers are listed with them in Berry. The last repair of the A5 Hunt aces is dated 1823 and the first repair of no. 99 is given as 1827; as this example has no repair mark, this suggests a date of c.1825. Compare with 1947.

2025 China Diamond, odd mixture of courts, CUS3.2/CUS5/CUS7, odd pips on 8s and 9s, c.2020

2026 Creswick, Type II courts as Stone, AS: A6 (8), KS missing, c.1825

The next two packs are fairly mundane, but have interesting features.

2027 De La Rue GDW12, AS: 2. *JD, jokers. This back was used in the late 19th century and was certainly influenced by Owen Jones, if not designed by him, and yet here it is in c.1955.

2028 De La Rue GDW12, AS: 2, two jokers. In original Goodall's Boudoir box with reference to George VI. Since it has two jokers for canasta, it dates the pack as 1950-51. (George VI died in February, 1952.)

2029 A very cheap and unusable pack not by Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland according to dxpo from WWII. XUS3.2, plain AS, joker. The JH is a grinning version of the JC figure. c.1944

2030 Prima cards. Copy of Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland version of XGD9 in bridge format but with differences in the drawing, pictorial aces and Dutch indices, but K not H, c.1945 (See also dxpo site.)

2031 Creswick Type II courts, AS: A6 (7). Some of these courts are from the same blocks as 2034, evidence that Stone was Creswick's front man until 1820. Gold edges, c.1820

2032 W. Wheeler Type I, AS: A5 (62) with changed initial from 'T'. The blue is very dark, making it difficult to distinguish from the black. c.1821

2033 Wheeler (not clear which one) an illegal pack made for Sutton & Co. The Ludlow AC has been turned into the AS with no tax ace. Type I courts, *5C. c.1810

2034 Stone Type II courts, most the same as in 2031, AS: A5 (19), c.1815

2035 T. Wheeler Type I with Type II red jacks, AS: A5 (77), c.1810. Apparently a genuine pack!

2036 Gibson Type I courts, AS: A3 (140; second repair). 32 out of 36 (down to sixes), c.1790

2037 Creswick Type II courts, AS: A6 (5). Some courts are the same as 2031 & 2034, others are different, e.g. KH, QC, JC. c.1822

2038 De La Rue Pneumatic, D6 courts, AS: 1, type 3 indices. The back design is number 525 by Owen Jones, originally designed in 1873 and still in use c.1905. The inner part of the box bears the name of a stationer.