Gilbert and Sullivan

Published December 27, 2020 • Updated April 01, 2024

Gilbert and Sullivan deck created by Don Jack using artwork from Players cigarette cards.

Gilbert and Sullivan playing cards designed by Don Jack, adapting the original artwork by H M Brock (1875-1960), as seen mostly on Players cigarette cards which were his main inspiration. The background detail of the cigarette cards has been removed to create the court card figures, which are at a larger scale. See the Box►

Gilbert and Sullivan playing cards printed by Carta Mundi, 1994

Above: Gilbert and Sullivan playing cards published by R Somerville of Edinburgh and printed by Carta Mundi, 1994. 52 cards + 3 jokers in box. The original Players cigarette cards from 1925-1927, which the playing cards are inspired by, are shown beneath each card.

More original cigarette cards

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Above: Players cigarette cards from 1925-1927 illustrated by H M Brock, which were the inspiration for the Gilbert and Sullivan playing cards.

Note from Roddy Somerville

Roddy Somerville has stocks available of this deck.

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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.