DeLaRue

Card Types

The card types and dates are detailed and illustrated in Ken Lodge,
The Standard English Pattern,1990 revised January 2003

The book contains substantial further information

For a description of terms, see notes at the bottom of the table

 

Maker Type Dates Corners Courts Turned Indices plainbacks Notes
De La Rue D1 1832-1834 Square

Full

 - - F40 Earliest De La Rue
First printed by Letterpress
De La Rue D2 1834-1840 Square Full - - F1 More Traditional Redesign
De La Rue D3 1840-1865 Square Full - - F42 More fanciful courts
De La Rue D3.1 1840 - 1855 Square Full - - F36 A more continental design
De La Rue D4 1850-1855 Square Double - - - several plate/ colour variations
De La Rue D4.1 1855-1865 Square Double - - F8 Development of D4,
Jacks have yellow hair
De La Rue D5 1865-1875 Square Double - various M3 Courts redrawn esp crowns
De La Rue D6 1870-1915 Round Double Turned various M4 variations 6.1 6.2,
Dexter index c 1878

Corners Square or Round:

Rounded corners were introduced to help prevent wear, most makers adopted these from circa 1875

Courts:

Full are traditional figures with legs see P1
DE = double ended, eg M50 (Unturned) M15 (turned left)
DE4h=Double ended with "four hands"! (see KS, KH, KD on M2)

Turned:

blank = unturned, T=Turned, TR=Turned right

In the traditional full-length pattern six pips are placed left (the four kings, JS, QH) and six right.
It became convenient to "turn" 6 courts so all 12 pips are left (or occasionally all 12 are on the right.)
These "turned" courts pre-date the use of indices and serve a similar but more basic purpose.
For Examples see M50 (Unturned) M15 (Turned: Pips all on left)

Indices:

blank=none, A or 1 means with index and "A" or "1" shows ace format

Corner indices conveniently convey the cards to a player without widely fanning the hand.
When indices came in, various experiments were tried.
See these examples...

Index Inside Frame M23
'Eureka', 'Index Pips' or 'Dexter' - indices in suit signs see M40
Triplicates - full cards reproduced in corners! M14 and an earlier US set I8
Modern indices - these Goodall cards M9 from c. 1900 start to seem familiar!