Catalogue of the collection of playing cards bequeathed to the Trustees of the British museum by the late Lady Charlotte Schreiber.

CHINESE CADS.

187

The backs of pasteboard cards of the better kind are a plain black,
white, orange, maroon, or other colour [See Nos. 8, 13, 16, 18, 22, 27,
28; 12; 10, 29; 11, 17, 23]; those with patterns appear to be of inferior
manufacture [See Nos. 4-7, 9, 21]. This, however, may be merely a
question of local taste. In Western China larger and longer cards are
used, smeared on both sides with a somewhat sickly oil [Nos. 4-7, 25,
30-33]. To guard against the possibility of marked backs, cautious players
employ a small card-holder of pewter or other material so shaped that the
top card only can be seen; then they draw from the bottom [See specimen
accompanying No. 14].
" Squeezers "-cards with marginal marks to show suit and value-are
largely used in China, where they are called for by the wiliness of the
players and the fact that constantly fifteen, and often twenty, cards have
to be held in the hand, not merely at the beginning but throughout the
game. We are speaking here of pasteboard cards; cards of bamboo or
bone, being used in play in the same manner as our dominoes, would not
require such marks, or have room for them. In pasteboard backs based
on dice, such as Hwahaw [Nos. 3, 4] there is not much necessity for a
squeezer mark, as the domino is given at the head and foot of each card.
Nevertheless, in a pack procured from Ichang [No. 4], this is done by
giving " doubles " a red margin, " illuminated " a black, and " singles" no
margin at all. In the same way packs founded on chess should not
require the mark, since the value of the card is expressed by a single
"character" at either end [Nos. 10-13]. Yet in one pack bought in
Foochow [No. 14] marks are found similar to those used for Khanhoo
cards, thus
King (no mark) Queen Bishop Rook
-' -- '-X --
Knight Cannon Pawn
The squeezer marks for Khanhoo cards vary, both as regards suits
and pips, in different packs. Thus we findPeking Foochow Canton Kiukiang Chungking
[19]. [20]. [22]. [24]. [26].
Strings OE U
Myriads
Cash