Not currently on display at the V&A

The Counties of England

Card Game
1920s (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The Counties of England card game was based on Happy Families and first published by Jaques in 1866. There are three series altogether and the 1st Series covers the Midlands area of England which includes London within Middlesex. The game was designed to educate as well as entertain. Each of the place-name cards have a picture and some interesting facts about that particular place. The game proved very popular and Jaques produced it over several decades. The pictures on the cards sometimes changed and the information certainly did. By the time this set was published the picture for London had been altered to reflect the change in shipping while the population had increased from an exact figure of 3,814,471 to a more rough estimate of 4,800,000.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • The Counties of England (manufacturer's title)
  • A Geographical Game (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Paper, printed, in leather case
Brief description
Boxed set of the game, The Counties of England, published in England by John Jaques & Sons Ltd in the 1920s
Physical description
Set of 65 cards in total. A key card lists the 14 counties covered by this set. There are 14 County cards that list the other cards in their subset. These cards have a coloured picture of the place and printed details of its population and other notable facts. The reverse of the cards has a yellow stylised floral pattern on white. Another card is printed with a list of other games published by Jaques. There is a printed sheet of paper with the rules folded twice. All are housed in a double slipcase of leather effect red card, the outer one of which has a label pasted on the front.
Dimensions
  • Box height: 9.1cm
  • Box width: 7.3cm
  • Box depth: 3.4cm
Copy number
1st Series
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'A. W. Gamage. Ld. 1/- London . E.C.' (Printed on a small label stuck on the top edge of the outer box)
  • a/d (Handwritten on a small label stuck on the top edge of the outer box)
Credit line
Given by Miss I. B. McClure
Object history
There are three series which cover the whole of England and Wales. Jaques introduced the sets in 1866 when each costs 1/6d.
Summary
The Counties of England card game was based on Happy Families and first published by Jaques in 1866. There are three series altogether and the 1st Series covers the Midlands area of England which includes London within Middlesex. The game was designed to educate as well as entertain. Each of the place-name cards have a picture and some interesting facts about that particular place. The game proved very popular and Jaques produced it over several decades. The pictures on the cards sometimes changed and the information certainly did. By the time this set was published the picture for London had been altered to reflect the change in shipping while the population had increased from an exact figure of 3,814,471 to a more rough estimate of 4,800,000.
Collection
Accession number
MISC.311-1986

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Record createdMarch 4, 2000
Record URL
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