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Games for Research: Playing Cards and Card Games

The John Johnson Collection contains many games and has recently been considerably enriched by the donation by Richard Ballam of his collection of games and pastimes. This guide explores the relevance of games to academic research.

Our Collections

Fortune-telling cards, pleasantly unfolding the good and bad luck attending to human life

 

 

Douce Playing Cards. These are the earliest examples and are part of the larger Douce Collection in the Bodleian and Ashmolean. They are indexedcatalogued (shelfmarks begin Douce Playing Cards) and are now available through Digital Bodleian.

John Johnson Collection. There are nine boxes of 19th and 20th century card games as part of the John Johnson Collection. The cards are catalogued.

Donald Welsh Collection: Acquired by bequest in 2018, the Donald Welsh Collection of some 6,000 Playing Cards and Card Games is indexed and is currently being catalogued (shelfmarks begin Donald Welsh)

Burnett Collection. Acquired by donation in February 2024, the Burnett Collection of Playing Cards comprises 3,300 packs of international, non-standard 20th century playing cards. Of interest to students of graphic design, it also documents major events, culture and counter-culture. The collection in indexed, and cataloguing is in progress, scheduled for completion in February 2025 (shelfmarks begin Burnett Collection). Some 500 examples from the collection can be seen on the World of Playing Cards website.

Mary Gardiner Collection of Happy Families and other card games: Bequeathed to the Bodleian in 2002. The collection is indexed and catalogued (shelfmarks begin Mary Gardiner).

Ballam Collection of Games and Pastimes: catalogued (shelfmarks begin Ballam Collection: Card Games)