These four 19th century playing cards (a ten of each suit, with a nine representing diamonds) date from around 1864. They were printed by Thomas de la Rue in London. The cards are 62mm x 88mm in size, and they have no indices (no letters or numbers at the top and bottom). They are, however, reversible top-to-bottom. Thomas de la Rue was born in Le Bourg, Guernsey, in 1793. Here he gained his knowledge of printing from his father, before moving to London in 1818. By 1853, the author Charles Dickens was praising the company for its fine work, in an article titled (A Pack Of Cards). Thomas de la Rue became known as 'the father of the English playing card'. History | Vertical | Design | Manufacturing | Black Color