Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 37 25 Sep 2019
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
George III, Card Games, 'Mathews on the Game of Whist, a cylindrical brass box, probably by Sir Edward Thomason, c.1818, the lid with a hand of aces, containing an incomplete set of nineteen gilt-bronze medals (from the set of 24), common obverse a classical philosopher in thought, the reverses with differing instructions pertaining to the game, each 28.5mm., the box 32.5 x 55mm., the medals a little dirty but about extremely fine, and the box in excellent order, rare (lot)
The counters include the one with the wonderfully defamatory comment on the acknowledged wisdom of the day, Edmund Hoyle's A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist, first published in 1742 and still the standard text in Mathew's time: HOYLE SO FAR FROM BEING ABLE TO TEACH THE GAME WAS NOT FIT TO SIT DOWN WITH A THIRD RATE PLAYER OF THE DAY. Thomas Matthews (though, as on the box lid, often spelt with just a single T) had first published his 'Advice to the Young Whist-Player', anonymously in 1804, and the medal inscriptions are taken from his book.
(80-120 GBP)
The counters include the one with the wonderfully defamatory comment on the acknowledged wisdom of the day, Edmund Hoyle's A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist, first published in 1742 and still the standard text in Mathew's time: HOYLE SO FAR FROM BEING ABLE TO TEACH THE GAME WAS NOT FIT TO SIT DOWN WITH A THIRD RATE PLAYER OF THE DAY. Thomas Matthews (though, as on the box lid, often spelt with just a single T) had first published his 'Advice to the Young Whist-Player', anonymously in 1804, and the medal inscriptions are taken from his book.
(80-120 GBP)