The World of Playing Cards Logo
Photo of Rex Pitts (1940-2021)
773 Articles

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.

Displaying 773 articles

Sort by: Publication Date Alphabetical Year of Production

Filter by Year of Production

1937 Lustiges Quartett

Lustiges Quartett

Lustiges Quartett Wilhelm Busch published by Franz Schmidt, Nuremberg, 1937.

1960 Schwarzer Peter Quartett

Schwarzer Peter Quartett

“Schwarzer Peter Quartett” game published by VEB Altenburger Spielkartenfabrik with cartoons by Wilhelm Busch.

Der Lohn des Fleisses

“Der Lohn des Fleisses”, a children's card game designed by Wilhelm Busch (1832-1908).

Humouristic Quartett

“Humouristic Quartett” families game produced by Adolf Sala of Berlin.

Schwarzer Peter

Art Deco style “Schwarzer Peter” card game published by Vereinigte Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkarten-Fabriken A.G., Stuttgart.

Fairy Tales

German Fairy Tales Card Game.

1930 Das Lustige Familien Quartett

Das Lustige Familien Quartett

“Das Lustige Familien Quartett” published by Eugen Schmidt K.G., Dresden, c.1930s

1956 Walt Disney “Schwarzer Peter”

Walt Disney “Schwarzer Peter”

Walt Disney “Schwarzer Peter” game published by Vereinigte Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkarten-Fabriken A.G.

1945 Modiano Patience

Modiano Patience

Patience cards published by Modiano, c.1945.

1897 Carte per Signora

Carte per Signora

“Carte per Signora” patience pack was produced by Fratelli Armanino, Genova, in c.1897.

1890 Royal Old Maid Game

Royal Old Maid Game

This antique card game features English kings and queens from William the Conqueror to Queen Victoria, along with their spouses or consorts.

1978 Credito Commerciale

Credito Commerciale

Playing cards designed by Enzo Laurà for Credito Commerciale, 1978.

Czech Insurance Company pack

Czech Insurance Company cartoon pack

1911 New Style ‘Jugendstil’

New Style ‘Jugendstil’

Playing cards showing the influence of ‘Jugendstil’ manufactured by the Soviet Playing Card Monopoly (U.S.S.R.).

1900 Figures Amusantes

Figures Amusantes

French language edition of a children's quartet game published by B. Dondorf, c.1900, consisting of 40 amusing illustrations of birds and animals with humorous captions.

1920 Russian “Historical”

Russian “Historical”

Russian “Historical extra fine No.204” Playing Cards depicting Ancient Dynasties, 1920s.

1878 The New Game of Animals

The New Game of Animals

Victorian card game with imaginatively designed letters which spell the name of an animal, with one card representing the animal spelt.

St George Game

St George Game, 1858, depicting St George and other saints engaged in battle slaying the dragon to save souls from perdition.

Pierre l’Ebouriffé

Heinrich Hoffmann (1809-1894) wrote the Struwwelpeter stories in 1847 for his son Carl. The stories quickly became famous and were translated into many languages...

Music Manuscripts

Artwork featuring playing cards in Music Manuscripts

1900 Fruits et Légumes

Fruits et Légumes

The beautiful artwork in Dondorf's “Fruits et Légumes” quartet game reminds us of the benefits of natural food.

La Zoologie

Dondorf's “La Zoologie” card game no.335 features a collection of 40 chromolithographic prints of species of animals from around the world

1900 Jeu des Fleurs

Jeu des Fleurs

Dondorf no.332: ‘Jeu des Fleurs’ French edition

1900 Wappen-Quartett

Wappen-Quartett

A coat-of-arms quartet game published by B. Dondorf, c.1900

Philips Sept Familles

“Philips Sept Familles” promotional happy families game from the 1970s

Chamborama

This “Jeu de Familles” from the 1960s designed by Jean Bachès promotes Chambord glassware.

1929 Laboratoires Modernes

Laboratoires Modernes

Happy Families game by “Laboratoires Modernes” promoting herbal products, c.1929

1930 Brighter Families

Brighter Families

“Brighter Families” promotional card game for Cosmos Lamps (Metrovick), 1930

1890 Picture Proverbs

Picture Proverbs

Picture Proverbs was a Victorian card game illustrating popular proverbs which were seen as words of wisdom.

Austrian Cartomancy Cards

During the 19th century a system of fortune telling arose in Europe using unnumbered, pictorial cards depicting popular imagery with subtitles in several languages.

1936 Albert Heijn’s Boffie Kwartetspel

Albert Heijn’s Boffie Kwartetspel

The “Boffie” Kwartetspel was designed by Huibert Vet and published by Albert Heijn in 1936

1936 Art Deco Gypsy Oracle

Art Deco Gypsy Oracle

Art Deco fortune telling deck published by Piatnik, 1936.

1913 Globe Trotters

Globe Trotters

Globe Trotters follows the journey of a group of travellers who depart from Genoa by ocean liner and sail to the Orient for the ultimate travel experience.

Hafez Fortune Telling Cards

Fortune Tellers use the Hafez Cards by interpreting the Hāfez poems printed on the card backs when cards are selected randomly by their consultants.

Watney’s Happy Families

A vintage Watney's Coombe Reid & Co Ltd promotional card game distributed by the brewery to their customers in c.1930

1929 Happy Melox Families

Happy Melox Families

The “Game of Happy Melox Families” was published by G. Clarke & Son of Thomas Street, London, in 1929.

1960 Ferguson Happy Families

Ferguson Happy Families

Ferguson Happy Families card game was produced by Ferguson Electronics and printed by John Waddington Ltd in c.1960.

1930 Wills’s Happy Families game

Wills’s Happy Families game

Wills’s “Happy Families” cards were issued by the Imperial Tobacco Company (of Great Britain and Ireland) Limited in around 1930.

1933 Le Progrès de la Circulation

Le Progrès de la Circulation

The beautiful images in this quartet game published by Jeux Spear in 1933 depict the progress of transport and travel since early times up til the 1930s.

1926 Mustering of the Mustard Club

Mustering of the Mustard Club

The “Mustering of the Mustard Club” was one of many promotional items produced by Colman's for the Mustard Club which was launched in 1926.

1930 Graf Zeppelin

Graf Zeppelin

A card game commemorating the first round the world flight by the Graf Zeppelin, published by J.W. Spear & Söhne, Nuremberg, in 1930.

Spear’s Old Maid

Spear’s “The Jolly Game of Old Maid” was introduced around 1900. The cards contain some interesting but harmless social stereotypes from the end of the Victorian era.

1933 Wereldvlucht Kwartet

Wereldvlucht Kwartet

Published in 1933, this game celebrated the burgeoning passenger services by air around the world. Spears Weltflug Quartette was produced in German, Dutch and English versions.

Indian Ganjifa Playing Cards

‘Ganjifa’ playing cards made in Sheopor in the North of Madhya Pradesh province in Central India. The Ganjifa game probably developed from 13th century games played by Mamluk immigrants from China.

Waddy Productions

Waddy Productions Ltd was a member of the giant Amalgamated Press group and only published card games for a short period in the 1930s.

1890 Mauclair Dacier Familles

Mauclair Dacier Familles

This “Jeu de Sept Familles” was produced by Mauclair Dacier in the late 19th century.

1920 Nederlandsche Oliefabriek

Nederlandsche Oliefabriek

This beautiful quartet game from Holland illustrates the strange life cycle of the peanut.

1875 Swiss Costumes

Swiss Costumes

Wüst's Swiss Cantons souvenir deck was published in Frankfurt in c.1875 for the emerging tourist market.

1875 Moyen-Age by Daveluy

Moyen-Age by Daveluy

Cartes Moyen-Age by Daveluy, Bruges, c.1875.

1850 Première Croisade

Première Croisade

‘Première Croisade’ with single-ended courts by Daveluy, Bruges, c.1850.

1880 Caught in a Trap

Caught in a Trap

A Victorian card game telling a story of a victim being ensnared in a trap, being caught, and finally escaping.