Reynolds & Sons

Reynolds & Sons ( c.1809 – 1885) Joseph Reynolds had designed and manufactured playing cards using traditional woodblock and colouring with brush and stencil methods from around 1809.

With the advent of new letterpress printing, Reynolds took the opportunity to redesign and modernise the traditional court cards around 1840. They also produced a double-ended version of their new court card designs which are still familiar in playing cards today.

The company also produced a variety of non-standard designs e.g. the c. 1850 pack which was inspired by Continental designs loosely based on the French ‘Paris’ design.

Between 1828 and 1862, playing card decks attracted a duty of one shilling which was collected by the Stamp Office through the sale of specially printed Ace of Spades which manufacturers had to purchase from them and these Ace of Spades are a feature of the Reynold’s decks.

Reynolds also produced ‘Transformation packs with designs by ‘Alfred Crowquill’ (a pseudonym of Alfred Henry Forrester). Forrester published collections of humorous work, political cartoons and caricatures and ‘transformation’ playing cards, showing comic ‘transformations’ inside the pips and travesties of the normal court cards for humorous and comic effect.

It appears that the firm was acquired by Charles Goodall & Son around 1885.