Siriol Clarry

Published November 12, 2010 Updated May 09, 2023

Playing cards designed by Siriol Clarry

1960 United Kingdom Amalgamated Playing Card Co Waddingtons Siriol Clarry Art & Design Designers Elements
ship design by Siriol Clarry

Siriol Clarry Playing Cards, c.1960

‘Four Elements’ playing cards designed by Siriol Clarry specially for John Waddington Ltd., c.1960. The card designs are strangely colourless but neverthelss depart from the standard pattern. Siriol Clarry was an illustrator whose work included book covers and children's books.

Playing cards designed by Siriol Clarry Playing-cards designed by Siriol Clarry

Above: a set of non-standard playing cards created and designed by Miss Siriol Clarry specially for John Waddington Ltd., c.1960. 52 cards + 2 Jokers + 1 title card. The four elements of air, earth, fire and water are represented by the court cards.

Playing-cards designed by Siriol Clarry

Further Updates courtesy Roddy Somerville

The pack was chosen for the Design Centre, Haymarket, London. Available in a fancy red box. The box contained a twin pack of the cards, a pencil with playing-card designs, and a bridge score pad. A large Design Centre sticker was affixed to the cellophane wrapping round each pack (see photo).

Secondly, the pack had a relatively long life. There was another edition issued by the Amalgamated Playing Card Co in 1971 in a special box (see photo) to commemorate Société Générale's 100 years of banking in the City of London (see scan of special title card). The box contains two packs, 50 bridge score cards, the Laws of Contract Bridge 1963, and 4 pencils. The back designs show a Société Générale "bon de monnaie" for 5 francs dated 1871 on one pack and a gold sovereign from 1871 on the other (see scan). These packs were gilt-edged, although I also have a single pack without gold edges.

Lastly, according to John Berry's catalogue of the Waddington Collection, Part 1, there was another special edition for Harrods, published in 1975 [W88]. These packs had a different Joker and a different back design (sorry, no scan available).

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By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.

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