William Dean Howells was admitted into the canon for the Parker Brothers 1897 edition of “Authors.”  He wasn’t in some of the later versions; tastes change.  His fellow authors this time around were James Russell Lowell, Robert Burns, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Greenleaf Whittier, William Shakespeare, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Victor Hugo, Sir […]

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This isolated card is from an early “Authors” deck.  Most later versions were less generous with the engraving; and Cooper didn’t always survive revisions to the canon. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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We’ll have a few examples of “Authors,” that curious game about collecting writers.  This one has no indication of date or publisher.  The canon is conventional: Scott, Longfellow, Shakespeare, Hawthorne, Whittier, Poe, Tennyson, Dickens, Stevenson, Irving, and Emerson.  Shakespeare is rather plump and peevish in this version, and his hair is curlier than I remember.  […]

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We have another specimen of “Old Maid”; this undated and anonymous deck has a holiday theme.  In addition to the elf, there are a wreath, a gingerbread man, a smiling tree, and various animals with Santa hats.  All are in this plain, rather clumsy style. And here’s the Old Maid. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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This sushi themed deck was, apparently, published by Accoutrements.  The number cards show sushi in multiple, the face cards show a larger roll.  The Joker is represented by wasabi and soy sauce. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“Letter-Grams” was published in 1938 by Milton Bradley.  There have been many crossword card games, but few with such an appealing and chubby typeface, or with such a decorative back. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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“The H-Bar-O Rangers” radio show began in 1932, presenting the adventures of Bobby Benson and his friends, and extolling the merits of H-O cereal.  This card game was published sometime around 1933.  The back shows a lovely drawing of Bobby riding the range with Sunny Jim, the sponsor’s mascot, who was to be phased out […]

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Parker Brothers published “The Game of States and Cities” in 1946.  Each card shows one of the states; and players compete to “Name the State.”  For some reason, the cards all have one corner cut; perhaps to make them look less like Colorado.  I must admit that Michigan doesn’t look quite right to me here. […]

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This horror movie themed deck carries no date or publisher; a sticker identifies it, though, as distributed by “Oriental Trading Co.”  It’s a standard 52-card deck, but the suits are cartoony versions of Frankenstein, Dracula, a mummy, and a witch.  The unusual shape is dictated by the reverse, which shows a haunted house.  For good […]

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Here’s another “Old Maid”: our 25th, if you’re counting (I just did).  It was published in 1985, by Hoyle Products.  I’m presenting Artie here, suspecting he may be a self-portrait by the anonymous artiste.  And here’s the Old Maid. (Posted by Doug Skinner)

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