Antique Rare c1850 Reynolds Transitional Piquet Playing Cards Set with Scoreboards & Pegs. A rare and finely preserved early Victorian card game set produced by Reynolds & Sons around 1850, designed for a specific game variant, most likely Double Piquet-a highly strategic game that remained popular among the upper classes throughout the Regency and early Victorian periods. Housed in its original fitted box, this set includes 64 printed playing cards and two finely made wooden scoreboards with bone pegs and rotating brass lids. The cards are an excellent example of a. Transitional period in British card design. Early double-ended court figures. A style first introduced in the 1830s but not widely adopted until the 1850s. The pip cards remain. And printed in a. These transitional characteristics – early double-ended courts paired with traditional pip formatting – are consistent with card manufacture from the late 1840s. Absence of both Ace of Spades cards. Irregular distribution of court cards. Strongly supports the conclusion that this was not a taxed, standard commercial deck, but a. Designed for a specific game. Between 1711 and 1862, British playing cards were subject to duty laws, and taxed decks were required to include a stamped Ace of Spades. The omission here reflects the creation of a game-specific pack not intended for general sale. The box is covered in grey canvas and bears the word. In large Gothic script on the lid, along with the handwritten inscription of. Inside, the box is divided into two fitted compartments – one for the cards, the other for the pair of compact wooden scoreboards. Each scoreboard features a rotating copper lid that conceals wells for pegs, and both include their full sets of original. White and Red bone scoring pegs. The set is remarkably well preserved, with crisp card surfaces and clean interiors, reflecting careful storage over nearly two centuries. This is an excellent and highly collectable example of early Victorian gaming culture, notable not only for its rarity and completeness but for its clear reflection of a key transition point in British card design. Suitable for collectors of early playing cards, gaming history, or institutional study, this set offers strong visual appeal and significant historical interest. Box size: 16cm x 8cm x 4cm.
