Miniature Playing Cards
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
19th century
"Miniature Playing Cards" is a nineteenth-century card game produced probably in England between 1800 and 1900. The set is housed in an elongated bone box fitted with a sliding lid. The lid itself is pierced with rows of small holes designed to function as a cribbage scoring board, with central panels painted with imagery that likely depicts an outdoor scene.
The playing cards are crafted from bone, cut into small, flat rectangular pieces. Each piece has been decorated using carving and painting techniques. The pip cards show standard suit symbols painted in red and black, including spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. The court cards depict illustrated figures rendered in yellow, blue, and brown paints in addition to the red and black pigments.
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 was intended for any number of players. In this preserved set, three cards are recorded as missing: the four of clubs, the two of hearts, and the seven of diamonds.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Carved and painted bone
Technical characteristics
- 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
- Miniature Playing Cards
- Museum object number
- MISC.507-1986
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.