Card of the Day - 2022-06-26

Carreras playing cards and dominoes
C151-140 : C18-15 : Ha.335-1B [tobacco : UK] Carreras “Playing Cards & Dominoes” untitled (May 1929) ace of clubs, double four

Second round was this, which is not only a “game”, and one of a “set”, which, in the case of the dominoes, you had to “match” but it is also the “Ace”, (which is a ball that cannot be returned by the opposing player) and a “Club” (which refers to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which was founded in 1868, and on whose grounds the Wimbledon tournament takes place). 

This set was issued before “Happy Family” but it is not pictorial, hence the carefully chosen words. It does have pictures on the “court” cards (oh enough already!), like little tarot cards tucked up in the corner, but it is not pictorial all the way through. If you are interested you can see all of the cards in the set on a rotating slide at The World Of Playing Cards / Carreras 

This set is designed not to be looked at but to be played with and enjoyed, to be cheap and cheerful, for there to be no panic when you drop it on the floor and the dog runs off with one or more and chews them into a soggy mess of pulp.

Look closely and you will see there is a perforation splitting the domino off from, and indeed forming the bottom of the playing card, with the rest of the card pressing out around the edges. That makes them even smaller, which is rather fun as I have to say I have a great love for small things, the artistry is just as, if not more skilful, and you can get a lot of small things in a really tiny box that can just go in a kitbag and be carried around the World quite unknown and out of sight.

I am not sure of the game but apparently there is one which involves seeing how many tiny things you can find and squeeze into a matchbox. I never played it, but the idea is very thrilling. Proof that little things do please tiny minds, I guess.