This deck of cards was issued to promote Lion Coffee. There’s no date, but it was probably around 1900. The back is a handsome ad for the product. One of the unique features of the deck is that a coffee break is part of the game. Did children drink coffee then? Maybe this was meant […]

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Ah, the perennial joys of “Crazy Eights.” This undated (60s?) deck from Whitman has a circus motif, and bold designs to go with it. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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We have another old, undated example of “Authors.” I found this one complete, without the original box, and worn from many hours of play. The canon this time includes Poe, Longfellow, Scott, Cooper, Hawthorne, Irving, Stevenson, Emerson, Shakespeare, Dickens, and Tennyson. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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This undated deck, made by Gemaco, offers a slogan about safety on every card. I don’t know if this was for children, or for adults in the workplace. In either case, it encourages them to play cards rather than do something dangerous. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Whoopee!”, a 1929 game from Milton Bradley, used cards, counters, and dice. As usual, I just like the graphics. The backs of the cards are stylish too. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Domestic Animals” was published by Parker Brothers; there is no date. It contains 56 cards, with pictures of domestic animals and facts about them. The object is to pair animals with similar characteristics: for example, the horse can be paired with the cow, since they both eat grass. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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This incomplete deck of 18 comes with no box or explanation. I don’t know if it was a game, or simply a collection of humorous pictures. At any rate, I like the vigorous, naive woodcuts. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Snap Quiz Card Game: Telling Tommy” was published in 1934 by the Whitman Publishing Company.  It was based on the comic strip and book series “Telling Tommy,” by William Paul Pim (1885-1950).  Question cards were paired with answer cards, teaching useful facts along the way.  And here’s the back, showing Tommy and his informative father. […]

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“Fractions” was published in 1902 by the Cincinnati Game Company.  It was billed as an “Educational Game,” but the instructions got lost somewhere in the past 112 years, so I can’t say how the education was accomplished.  The back of the card is handsome, showing fractions being enjoyed in the home. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“The Game of Birds” was published in 1897 by the Cincinnati Game Co.  That was, of course, before we killed all the passenger pigeons. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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