Siriol Clarry
Playing cards designed 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.


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.

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).

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.
Related Articles

The Molassine Company and its link to Whist and Bridge
A savvy marketing strategy blending Victorian decorative design with Edwardian practicality.

Waddington’s faux books
Waddington’s faux book set containing four packs of playing cards and bridge markers.

Patience by Joseph Glanz
A refined and distinctly European Patience pack by Joseph Glanz from Austria.

Double Dummy Bridge
In the early 20th century several firms began to promote whist or bridge as a game for two.

Ogdens Beauties & Military cigarette cards
Cigarette cards featuring beauties and military uniforms with playing-card insets.

Boddingtons Bitter playing cards
Cool-looking courts advertising Boddingtons Bitter, originally brewed in Manchester.

OXO Faces of the Millennium Dinner
Twentieth-century personalities promoting a millennium dinner at the Oxo Tower in London.

Modern Swiss-German Pattern (carta.media)
Modernizing tradition: balancing clarity and continuity in regional card design.

Kids Fun Box playing cards
Colourful cards for children with four non-standard suits connected with the natural world.

Tangle Foot Ale
Badger Brewery Tangle Foot strong ale advertising pack.

Tactics Design
Late modernist Japanese playing cards designed by Masayoshi Nakajo for Tactics Design.

Scientific Whist
“Scientific Whist” : standard cards with instructions for play on the faces by Chas Goodall & Son, 1...

Agent Provocateur
Branded lingerie collection in a pack of pin-up playing cards.

Nimbus playing cards
Mike Steer’s weather-themed pack with suits in four colours and backs for cardistry.

Agatha Christie and Playing Cards revisited
Agatha Christie uses card-play as a primary focus of a story, and as a way of creating plots and mot...

The Decadent Deck
Studies in the eroticism of the female body by Inge Clayton.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days