Just William card game
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1950s
This boxed card game, titled Just William, was published in England by Castell Brothers Ltd. Dating to the 1950s (with recorded reference also to the 1930s), the set comprises a total of 44 cards along with its original packaging and an instructions booklet. The box measures 8.1 cm in height, 5.5 cm in width, and 2 cm in depth.
The game is produced on card using chromolithography. Each card front displays colourful narrative illustrations derived from the stories of the schoolboy character William Brown, originally created by author Richmal Crompton (1890–1969). The reverse sides of the cards are red with a white printed design. The red box features a matching illustrated front panel bearing the game's title.
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.
Historical context
The game's illustrations are based on a series of ten books written by Richmal Crompton, beginning with Just William, which was originally serialized in a women's magazine and published as a book in 1922. Designed for any number of players, the objective is to collect sets of four matching cards, with participants aiming for two sets if fewer than five are playing, or one set if more than five take part.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Chromolithography on card
- Dimensions
- Height (box): 8.1 cm; Width (box): 5.5 cm; Depth (box): 2 cm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Castell Brothers Ltd
- Place recorded
- England
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Just William
- Museum object number
- MISC.186-1978
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.