Playing card
Harry Margary
Category
Sports equipment, games and pastimes
Date
1972
Materials
Card and printing ink
Measurements
Box - 100mm (length); 64mm (width); 29mm (depth), Each card - 98mm (length); 62mm (width), Publisher notes - 210mm (length); 150mm (width)
Place of origin
Lympne Castle
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 657949
Summary
A facsimile (1972) of the original white box and playing cards entitled (on back of box) 'Facsimile of Morden's Playing Card, First Published 1676'. The set consists of fifty two white playing cards divided into four suits. Each suit has a black and white drawing of a map of either an English of Welsh county, with additional handwritten information about each below. Each map has road markings on it. In the top left hand corner is the suit symbol with the name of the county next to it and the number of the card in roman numerals in the other corner. The hearts and diamond symbols are in red and the clubs and spades symbols are in balck. The Jack, Queen and King are represented by busts of figures in a circular frame. The King is a representation of Charles II and his the Queen is his wife Catherine of Braganza. The back of the cards are plain. There are three remaining cards; the first is a copy of the information on the back of the box and includes details of the facsimile publisher; the second is a fascimile of the original explanation and the third is a facimile of a map of England. The box is white card and has an example of the playing card for 'Middlefex' (sic) and on the back is the title explaining that this is a facsimile; an explanation of the cards appearance and the facsimile publisher. There is also a piece of white paper with printed text produced by the publisher explaining the origins of the cards and lists the original sellers of the cards. Total number of items is 57.
Makers and roles
Harry Margary , engraver and publisher