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 […]

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“Old Maid: Mother Goose Edition” was published by Russell; no date is given.  It features illustrations from Mother Goose, done in rich colors in a sober storybook style. And here’s the Old Maid:    (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Avilude, or Game of Birds,” was published by West & Lee in 1873.  As you might expect, you collect sets of birds, thus learning some natural history as you compete. The classification of birds is eccentric, and worth reprinting: wading, pigeon tribe, honey eaters, web-footed, birds of prey, running birds, singing birds, talking. (Posted by […]

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Another artist works away in another edition of “Old Maid.”  This deck is contemporary; it has no indication of date or publisher; it’s cheaply printed.  And here’s that Old Maid:  (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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This week’s entry is an enigma, I’m afraid: an orphaned card, retrieved from a box of miscellaneous ephemera.  The rather oddly shaped swimmer obviously comes from some old game, but what? She did not arrive unescorted; this troublesome bird is clearly from the same deck. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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An “Old Maid, Wildlife Edition,” was published by the National Wildlife Federation at some point.  It is, they tell us, “An Educational and Approved Children’s Game.”  I assume they did the approving themselves; that’s how it often works.  It features sober paintings of animals and plants; “Educational Notes” on said paintings; and a picture of the NWF […]

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“Makin’ Groceries” was published in New Orleans in 1987, by Mel-Mar Productions.  All of the cards represent local brands of food: ice cream, crab boil, red beans, potato chips, etc.  The players compete to match and accumulate groceries.  As the instruction card says, “We have chosen some of Louisiana’s finest and most original food products that […]

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The “Space Age Edition” of Old Maid was published by the Russell Manufacturing Company in 1960.  Most of its pairs are, like this one, cartoon versions of NASA spacecraft.  However, the UN building, Albert Einstein, and a skin diver are also part of the roster.  I guess they help keep the kids on their toes. […]

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“Dandy Candy,” a “Built-Rite Toy,” parades anthropomorphic junk food before its young audience.  Pies, cakes, candy canes, gum drops, and other sugary citizens laugh and frolic before jagged pastel backgrounds. I suppose the idea is to encourage children to up their sugar intake.  I had no interest in sweets as a kid; my family, of course, was appalled, and warned […]

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Ah, the Old Maid returns: here she is in a nicely rendered “Peter Pan Card Game” from the Whitman Publishing Company.  Again, I’ve selected the painter from the deck, since I always wonder if the anonymous artist has slipped in a self-portrait. And here’s the Old Maid. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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