Derby Day
Derby Day race game published by Parker Games’ English subsidiary at Ivy Lane, London, from 1908 to around 1920.
Derby Day race game published by Parker Games’ English subsidiary at Ivy Lane, London, from 1908 to around 1920. There are 48 cards (24 with white horses and 24 brown, but with all the jockeys wearing different colours). The player who gets all their horses home first is the winner. See the Rules►
Above and below: Derby Day published by Parker Games Co Ltd English subsidiary at Ivy Lane, London, from 1908 to around 1920. Card back design either in Red or Blue. Plus rules. Cards printed by Chas Goodall & Son Ltd as stated on the rear of the box. My edition is in a double thickness box with one half containing 24 red card discs and 24 black discs all numbered. I believe it was also sold in a single box with no discs.
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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