Collection Guide
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Metcalf (Edwards H.) Collection of Playing Cards
0206
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Contributing Institution:
Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.
Title: Edwards H. Metcalf Collection of Playing Cards
Identifier/Call Number: 0206
Physical Description:
2 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1800-1950
Abstract: Edwards H. Metcalf was a collector, Pepperdine University board member, and grandson of Henry Edwards Huntington (a railroad
tycoon and founder of the Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA). While he was a T.E. Lawrence
enthusiast, his collections were diverse, including a collection of vintage playing cards. This collection was donated to
Pepperdine University Libaries - Special Collections and University Archives after his death. The decks range in dates from
the early 1800s to the mid-1900s. Many different card games are included in the collection, such as Man-Chu, fortune telling,
and court.
Physical Description: Collection consists of five boxes. Boxes 1-4 dimensions are 4.75" in width, 12.75" in length, and 3.25" in height. Box 5 dimensions
are 6.75" in width, 12.25" in length, and 4.60" in height.
Language of Material:
English
.
Advanced notice required for access.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials were donated by the estate of Edwards H. Metcalf.
The collection is organized by item and by original number assigned before donation. Oversized decks have been arranged in
a separate, larger box.
Edwards H. Metcalf was a collector, Pepperdine University board member, and grandson of Henry Edwards Huntington (a railroad
tycoon and founder of the Huntington Library, Art Gallery, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA). He owned many small businesses
and was the president of the Huntington Land Company. He was an avid collector and donated many items to the Huntington Library.
Metcalf was born November 4, 1911 to parents John and Elizabeth Metcalf. He was the second of four children. The family lived
in Northern California. He married Jane King (April 24, 1910-May 27, 1994) and they lived in San Marino, California for many
years.He served in the Navy during the Korean War. Metcalf died in Sierra Madre, California on April 2, 2001, and he and Jane
were buried in Riverside National Cemetery (a military cemetery in Riverside, California.
He was an avid collector and in 1986 he donated 500 books and pamphlets from his T.E. Lawrence collection to Pepperdine's
Payson Library. While he was a T.E. Lawrence enthusiast, his collections were diverse, including a collection of vintage playing
cards. This collection was donated to Pepperdine University Libaries - Special Collections and University Archives after his
death.
[Box/folder# or item name], Edwards H. Metcalf Collection of Playing Cards, Collection no. 0206, Special Collections and University
Archives, University Libraries, Pepperdine University.
The collection was arranged and described and the finding aid was created in October 2022 by Alexandra Haas, Special Collections
and University Archives intern, under the supervision of Kelsey Knox.
Majority of research for biographical notes for this finding aid was done using The World of Playing Cards (wopc.co.uk).
Rare books on the subject of playing cards that were donated to Pepperdine University with the collection can be found in
the Pepperdine Rare Books Collection.
Playing Cards: History of the pack and explanations of its many secrets by W. Gurney Benham (1931)
The Devil's Picture Books: A history of playing-cards by Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer (1895)
A Descriptive Catalogue of Playing and Other Cards in the British Museum by William Hughes Willshire, M.D. (1876)
Researches into the History of Playing Cards by Samuel Weller Singer (1816)
A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards and Gaming by Catherine Perry Hargrave (1930)
The History of Playing Cards and Their Use in Conjuring and Card-Sharping edited by Rev. Ed. S. Taylor, B.A. (1865)
Facts and Speculations on Playing Cards by William Andrew Chatto (1808)
This collection contains decks of playing cards that were collected by Edwards H. Metcalf. The decks range in dates from the
early 1800s to the mid-1900s. Many different card games are included in the collection, such as Man-Chu, fortune telling,
and court.
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Antiques
California -- History
Germany
Italy
Japan
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History
Universities and colleges -- California -- History
Universities and colleges -- History
Pepperdine University