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Published March 17, 2017 Updated June 29, 2022

Biggles

Biggles card game published by Pepys Games in 1955 based on the popular books by Capt W E Johns.

1955 United Kingdom Castell Bros Pepys Leslie Stead Aviation Literature Card Games Add to Collection

1955 saw the issue of ‘Biggles’ a game based on the books by Capt W E Johns. Leslie Stead illustrated more than 90 of Capt W E Johns’ books and he also designed the cards which were published by Pepys Games.

Biggles card game published by Pepys Games in 1955 based on the popular books by Capt W E Johns Biggles card game published by Pepys Games in 1955 based on the popular books by Capt W E Johns

Above: cards from ‘Biggles’ game illustrated by Leslie Stead and published by Pepys Games in 1955 based on the popular books by Capt W E Johns.

Original artwork

Original Biggles artwork by Leslie Stead.

Biggles book covers

Above: four ‘Biggles’ book covers from the years 1942, 1953 and 1954. See more here

REFERENCES & CREDITS

www.biggles.info

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By 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.


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