King and Queen of Spades two-sided toby jug designed by Stanley J. Taylor and produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, in a 1997 limited edition of 2,500. During the late 19th century, cycling on unicycles, bicycles, and tricycles was taking the United States by storm. It was also in the latter part of the 1800s that Russell & Morgan, the forerunners of the United States Playing Card Company, decided to produce a line of cards of the highest quality. Employees were asked to suggest an attractive name for the new product, and a printer, Gus Berens, offered Bicycle. His idea was enthusiastically accepted, and the Rider Back made its debut in 1887. Since then, while the Bicycle brand has featured dozens of different designs, the Rider Back has never gone out of production. Today, people all over the world are familiar with the traditional red or blue back showing cupid astride a two-wheeler. The brand has become synonymous with quality and is still "the world's favorite playing card." The King of Spades was originally King David from the Bible's Old Testament and the Queen of Spades was the Greek goddess Pallas Athena. This is the fourth and final jug in the series of playing card two-sided toby jugs.
Maker:
Royal Doulton
England
1997
Model #:
D7087
Playing Card Series
toby jug
Size:
medium
Height:
5 1/4"