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Hunt & Sons, 1820-1849

Published February 20, 2010 Updated May 01, 2022

Hunt & Sons (1820-1849) was the first maker to modernise the court card designs with a complete re-drawing.

United Kingdom Hunt & Sons

Playing Cards manufactured by Hunt & Sons, 1820-1849

Having started in 1790 as Hunt, the company became Hunt & Sons in 1820. Hunt and Hall & Bancks joined forces in 1840, but kept separate aces and courts until the change to Bancks Brothers in 1849.

Piquet deck manufactured by Hunt & Sons

Above: 32 card pack with small size courts and George III garter ace of spades showing one shilling and six pence duty, manufactured by Hunt & Sons. Image courtesy John Sings.

'Superfine' woodblock and stencil playing cards manufactured by Hunt & Sons, c.1820

Above: 'Superfine' woodblock and stencil playing cards with George III garter ace of spades manufactured by Hunt & Sons, c.1820.

Hunt & Sons (1821-1840) was the first maker to 'modernise' the court card designs with a complete re-drawing which were printed mechanically by stereotype (below). These also became the house style of their successors Bancks Brothers

manufactured by Hunt & Sons, c.1822

Above: standard pack with modernised courts and George IV garter ace of spades showing one shilling and sixpence duty manufactured by Hunt & Sons, c.1822. Image courtesy John Sings.

Above: playing cards with re-drawn, 'rationalised' designs and 'Old Frizzle' ace of spades by Hunt & Sons, c.1830.

manufactured by Hunt & Sons, c.1830s

Above: playing cards issued by Hunt & Sons, c.1830s. Small size cards 56mm x 84mm with 'Old Frizzle' ace of spades. The court cards had been introduced by Stopforth in the Garter period. Image courtesy John Sings.  Next page: Bancks Brothers

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By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.


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