“Tops and Tails,” an undated game from the venerable Viennese firm Piatnik, invited players to match the two halves of animals. The illustrations are detailed, imaginative and charming. And, of course, the players can also amuse themselves by mismatching the cards, creating unusual hybrids. The backs of the cards are also worth a look. (Posted […]

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There have been many card games that direct the players to collect panels from a comic strip. The earliest I’ve seen is this miniature deck featuring Richard Outcault’s popular characters Buster Brown and Tige. The cards can also be used as a regular deck, no doubt inspiring new stories. The back is also quite nice. […]

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“The Game of Don’ts and Old Maid” was published in 1905 by McLoughlin. Players are instructed to collect pairs of cards showing wretched specimens of humanity, thereby teaching them (the players) not to be stupid, hoggish, silly, proud, untidy, a crank, a scold, etc. One of the things not to be is an old maid, […]

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Not many card games are based on traditional rhymes, but there have been a few versions of “The House That Jack Built.” Here’s one published by Arrco, probably in the ’50s, but apparently too marginal to be copyrighted or dated. For an earlier version of Jack’s misadventures, look here. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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Parker Brothers published several editions of “Authors” over the years. This one is a “nickel edition”: undated, but probably from around 1900. It’s a small deck, with only 21 cards, and a simple design in black and white. In addition to Oliver Wendell Holmes, shown for some reason in profile, the pantheon contains Tennyson, Cooper, […]

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“My Mother Sent Me to the Grocery Store” was published by Parker Brothers; it’s undated, but a search reveals that it’s probably from around 1902. The rules are simple: each player draws from a stack of cards showing children in various stores (grocery store, toy store, florist, baker, etc.). The player then draws from another […]

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Although I’ve posted many examples of children’s card games, I’d never seen an ad for them before. The games, with their liminal designs and cheap prices, seem to stay on the lowest rung of commerce, too forgettable and disposable to be marketed. This ad, though, gets into the spirit of things with its clumsy artwork, […]

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The venerable company Ed-U-Cards published their “Play-All Card Deck” in 1965. It’s simply a standard deck, 52 cards and two jokers, with artwork designed for children. The Jay Bird here is the Jack; the Queen and King are Queen Bee and King Lion. Each number card has relevant picture: a four-leaf clover for four, a […]

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“Poems,” published in 1898 by the Cincinnati Game Co., offered a deck featuring 52 poems. They were divided, like a standard deck, into four suits: America, Ireland, England, and Scotland. The American suit included Longfellow, Whittier, Bryant, and Field, as well as “The American Flag” by William Rodman Drake. Ireland was represented by Thomas Moore, […]

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“Life,” published in 1955 by Charles M. Foust of Yates Center, Kansas, is not to be confused with the venerable board game from Milton Bradley. Mr. Foust’s “Life” consists of 98 cards, divided into 14 Repent cards, 5 Confess, 5 Believe, 5 Baptised, 20 Love, 20 Jesus, 30 Fellowship, 5 Heaven, 4 Sin, and 10 […]

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