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Speed 1st edition

Published January 26, 2018 Updated July 27, 2022

The first edition of Speed by Pepys Games was published in 1938.

1938 United Kingdom Castell Bros Pepys Transport Card Games

The first edition of Speed, the thrilling card game by Pepys Games, was published in 1938 in two tone colour to keep the price down to a very low 1/- per pack. The cards in the pack are as follows:

9 Aeroplane Cards
9 Train Cards
8 Ship Cards
8 Motor Cards
4 Lightning Cards
1 Extra Turn Card

The object of the game is to dispose of all your cards. See extract from the Rules

The second edition of Speed came out in 1945 in full colour

first edition of Speed by Pepys Games published in 1938 first edition of Speed by Pepys Games published in 1938 first edition of Speed by Pepys Games published in 1938 first edition of Speed by Pepys Games published in 1938 first edition of Speed by Pepys Games published in 1938 first edition of Speed by Pepys Games published in 1938

Above: first edition of Speed by Pepys Games, 1938. In the 50 years that it was published there have been 11 distinctly different editions.

Rex Pitts has spent a long time researching all the subjects on the Speed cards. Download an excerpt from his “Speed Comments”. The second edition of Speed came out in 1945 in full colour

1938
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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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