I suppose this isn’t really a game.  It’s taken from a pack of “Trader’s Cards,” published by E. E. Fairchild.  There are twelve cards, neatly done up in a wrapper.  The copy tells us they’re “all different,” adding “You will want to get all nine series numbered 1 to 9, each containing twelve different cards.”  The fact that the sets are numbered is indeed tempting; that saves trouble.

I presume the cards were traded among kids; the fact that none has any pop culture or franchise tie-in seems both quaint and refreshing.  The selection also seems oddly random: a totem pole, a photo of a buttercup, a Renoir portrait, a photo of a church, a yellow and black drawing of a house, a map of Cape Cod, a colored print of a ship, a cookie jar with a decorative border, a photo of three kittens, a painting of a dog’s head, a painting of an oriole, a drawing of another kitten.

I was puzzled, until I realized: these were probably stock designs for playing card backs, repackaged as trading cards.  I especially like that totem pole. 

(Posted by Doug Skinner)