A recent auction held at Special Auction Service in Newbury saw a collection of rare playing cards sold for a total of £51,174, far exceeding the expected price of £20,000. The collection included 52 lots by the major British makers Hunt, Creswick and Hall, and featured sets from the 17th to 19th centuries that were in exceptional condition. The smallest collection went for £100, while the largest fetched £15,000.
The set that commanded the highest price was from 1720, created by Thomas Bowles South Sea Bubble Stock-Jobbing. The 52 cards each told a different story about the first financial collapse, how money was lost, and its connection to the slave trade. The set had been estimated to sell for between £5,000 and £8,000 but made £15,000 at auction. Similarly, a set of Robert Morden miniature map playing cards from 1676 exceeded expectations, being expected to fetch up to £3,000 but selling for £13,750.
Daniel Agnew, teddy bear, toy and doll specialist at the auction house, said that “the prices reflected their quality and uniqueness.” According to Agnew, “It is rare to have one of these 17th and 18th-century pictorial playing card sets at auction, so to have this many altogether is very unusual. For things this ephemeral to survive is amazing.”
Despite the high value of the cards, they represent one of the most ephemeral mediums in the collectibles market. Experts highlighted the rarity and quality of the sets, attributing the passion for obtaining collections to their historical value and rarity. The auction was successful, and with the cards in exceptional condition, their new owners will have a piece of history to cherish for many years to come
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