As a result the appointed Commissioner for Stamp Duties chose the Ace of Spades to receive the mark and it remains so to the present day, although the actual duty was abolished in August 1960 as it had become uneconomical. This had always created a problem when trying to fan out the cards. Wear and tear during play resulted in the square corners becoming scuffed and rounded, and so round corners became standard. Finally, the 53 rd card in the pack was introduced at the end of the 19 th century by the Mississippi gamblers on the river boats in America, and the pack evolved into the pack of cards that we take for granted today. They belong to a cheerful, gregarious, competitive world, and provide the collector, by their associations, with an unusually vivid view of history, nonetheless interesting for being from the sidelines.
Some games recreate the thrill of sporting activities, whilst others give a sense of creativity.
A few can even cause anger and frustration. They are distinct from ordinary playing cards, with their most obvious difference being the lack of any court cards or suit marks. Instead game cards are either numbered, lettered or grouped in some other way. Children's card games used to be produced to very high quality, both in the materials used and the design and printing. Economic circumstances change, and children's card games today vary in quality and educational value.