Geographical Playing Cards: Court Game of Geography, London, circa 1838
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1838
This complete deck of 52 engraved geographical playing cards, issued by William and Henry Rock, features a non-standard suit structure representing the continents.
The suits are divided into blue pike-heads for America, yellow diamonds for Asia, green shamrocks for Africa, and red hearts for Europe. Each court card displays a single-figure illustration of a royal leader relevant to the suit's geography. The pip cards illustrate maps of specific countries within the continent, while the aces feature the entire continent. The suit signs are printed in black vertical stripes and enhanced with hand-colouring.
The cards measure 97 x 65 mm and feature square corners with plain white versos. The set is housed in an original maroon Morocco case with a gilt-lettered title on the front panel. Also included is a near-contemporary 24-page hand-inked instruction booklet, bound in limp patterned paper wrappers, which likely replicates the original rules. The pack, originally published by Charles Hodges, was re-issued by William and Henry Rock after Hodges ceased operations around 1830.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- 97 x 65 mm
- Case material
- Maroon Morocco leather
- Instruction booklet
- 24 pages, 77 x 56 mm
Technical characteristics
- Printing
- Engraved
- Colouring
- Hand-coloured
- Deck size
- 52
Design
- Aces
- Entire continent maps
- Suits
- Pike-heads (America), Diamonds (Asia), Shamrocks (Africa), Hearts (Europe)
- Pip cards
- Maps of countries within the continent
- Court cards
- Single-figure royal leader illustrations
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
- Maker named in listing
- William and Henry Rock
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.