High Prices For Playing Cards

A sale of oíd playing cards took place in London recently. The catalogue coutained 46 lots, and though they lacked the extreme rarity of many in the Schrieber collection there were a nuniber of unusually iuteresting and curious packs. These were the characteristics especially of 52 old proverb cards, the rarity of which is testified to by the fact that they are uot meutioned in the British museum catalogue, iu which every known variety is recorded. The pack was in fine condition and realized the sum of .L4 Is. A marble backed set of 54 Dntch satirical cards, engraved in the first quarter of the eighteenth century, fetched L3 18s. The sum of L3 was paid for au antique geographical pack of about the year 1675. This set also included the rare expían atory card and another card describingotber packs of the period. The "popish plot" pack, which was published in 1079, wa3 sold for L2 18s. These cards are veryscarce, but the completeness of the pack was broken by the absence of the seven of hearts, aud this influenced the price. A pack illustrating the American war, with portraits of the generáis engaged in it, realized 2 guineas.