Woman’s Hour
The Woman’s Hour playing cards published by David Westnedge, 1996.
To commemorate their 50th anniversary in 1996, BBC Radio 4’s “Woman’s Hour” produced this pack of playing cards to celebrate 54 exceptional women, from Mae West to Cleopatra, drawn by Nicky Taylor. The choices for the faces were made by the Woman’s Hour team and the finished pack was published by David Westnedge Ltd. See the Information Card►




Above: the Woman’s Hour playing cards published by David Westnedge Ltd, London, 1996. 52 cards + 2 jokers + extra card in box. A short biography of each woman accompanies the pack.
See the Box►


By Matt Probert
Member since March 02, 2012
I have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.
Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.
Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.
I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.
Related Articles

Songs with Flute accompaniment
Eighteenth century English engraved cards with music for voice and flute.

Love Tests
Vintage novelty “Love Test” cards of a slightly saucy nature but all in good fun!

Ukraine playing cards
Historical figures from Ukraine’s past in a familiar Piatnik style.

Ben 10 playing cards
Characters from the American animated television science fantasy series Ben 10.

Le Globe Céleste
Views and plans of five international exhibitions held in Paris between 1855 and 1900.

Doctor Who Trump Card Game
Game for two players in which Doctor Who and the Legendary Legion join battle with the Alien Hordes....

Baraja de Juan Martín Zamorano
Deck inspired by El Pendón de los Zamorano, a military pennant dating from 1501, published by Priego...

Disney’s Aladdin playing cards
Characters from the 1992 Disney film Aladdin.

2011 Worshipful Company Pack
Celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, with characters adapted from drawings b...

Animal Skat, Česká Grafická Unie
A non-standard deck from Czechoslovakia.

Jockey Club de Buenos Aires
Spanish-suited pack by Chas Goodall & Son Ltd for the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires.

New interest in old games
Games once fashionable are now eclipsed by quicker gratifications.

Polygo™
Cards of irregular, four-sided shape for playing word and colour games as well as more traditional o...

Treasures from the Bodleian Library
Rare books, manuscripts, music scores, portraits, maps, gospels, chronicles and other valuable artef...

Carte di Colombo
Fully illustrated pack designed by Pier Canosa commemorating the 500th anniversary of the discovery ...

Seminole Wars deck
Seminole Wars deck by J. Y. Humphreys, Philadelphia, c.1819.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days