Playing cards; Maker: B-P. Grimaud, France; Length 5.3 cm, Width 8.7 cm, Depth 1.8 cm.
CMC 2004.18.92

It began as a simple way to encourage numeracy amongst his children and became a passion. Games. Robin Hamilton Harding intended to keep a few board games handy to play with his family but discovered the joys of collecting. Over a period of 25 years, he amassed an array of games that documented what was, and had been, available in Canada and in other parts of the world for over a century. In 2004, "to his wife's great relief," he gave 1,250 of them to the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

This sealed deck of cards was part of the donation. Dating from around the beginning of World War I, it bears the notice that its French maker won the Grand Prix at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900. What were the physical qualities that commended the cards to the judges? What were the designs used on their faces and backs? Apart from the statements on the package, we shall never know unless we find a comparable, open set. The Canadian Museum of Civilization is obliged to protect the integrity of its artifacts. Breaking the seal to examine the cards would permanently alter the object and reduce its monetary value, even if we learned the answers to the above questions.