Valentine’s Games

Valentine & Sons Ltd, Dundee & London, were greeting card manufacturers who also sold photographs and postcards, plus a range of small books of photographic views of England and Scotland (dated between 1895 and 1910). They also published other books, many with illustrations for children, and playing cards and party games during the early 20th century. Well known amongst playing card collectors for their packs of scenic playing cards for Webb’s, Isle of Man, they also produced a small fortune-telling pack and a patience pack in around 1900. At least five card games are known (shown below):
Cardomino
55 cards in telescopic box. See the Rules►

Above: Valentine’s Cardomino, c.1910.
Sister Susie Snap
At least two editions of this game are known, probably from around first world war times see more →

Above: Sister Susie Snap, c.1915. all above images courtesy Rex Pitts.
The Soldier’s Compendium


Above: The Soldier’s Compendium produced by Valentine’s Games, c.1915. Images courtesy Ken Lodge.
References & Credits
Very informative site about Valentine Books►
Photographic archive of J Valentine and Co., Dundee: here►
Lodge, Ken: The Standard English Pattern (second revised and enlarged edition), Bungay, Suffolk, 2010, pp.143-44.
Ken Lodge’s Blog: playing cards for Webb’s, Isle of Man and more info here►
Thanks to Rex Pitts for kindly supplying scans from his collection and to Ken Lodge for additional research.