Playing Cards: Old Maid, Whitman 4492, Plastic Case, 21 Matching Pairs, Vintage 1960s

Pairs laid down, one card too many, and everyone trying not to give it away. This Whitman Old Maid deck brings 21 excellent matching pairs, still in its original plastic case.

• Maker: Whitman
• Materials: Printed card stock, plastic case
• Contents: 21 matching pairs, Old Maid card, and cover card (44 cards); No rule card
• Dimensions: Cards 3.5 inches Tall, 2.25 inches Wide
• Origin: USA
• Era: Vintage 1960s
• Condition: The Old Maid card has a torn corner.  Pairs are in wonderful condition, no bent corners not tears.  Plastic case is also very good, only age appropriate wear, no chips or cracks. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

The set holds 21 matching pairs, the Old Maid card, and a cover card that pictures the Old Maid herself, all in the original plastic case. Among the characters are some of the most sought-after in the series: Diver Dan, Fifi Fluff, Postman Peter, and Ballet Betty. With the Old Maid's corner torn, simply play her upside down or let the cover card take her place. No rule card is included, but the game is easy to teach: deal out every card, set aside any pairs, then take turns drawing from a neighbor's hand. Whoever is left holding the Old Maid loses.

A fun find for collectors of vintage children's games and playing cards, for a nursery or playroom shelf, or as a gift for anyone who remembers rainy-afternoon rounds as a child.

Whitman Publishing Company began in 1916, when Western Printing & Lithographing of Racine, Wisconsin, took over the assets of the bankrupt Hamming-Whitman Publishing Company of Chicago, which owed it money for printing. Western kept the Whitman name for a children's publishing subsidiary and soon added boxed games, jigsaw puzzles, paper dolls, and playing cards to its line of juvenile books. By the mid-1960s Whitman was publishing almost every kind of children's book alongside coin folders, crayons, and card games like this one. Old Maid itself is far older, a matching game that grew popular with American makers in the late nineteenth century.

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