IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alphonse René Le Mire Normandy, of Odin Lodge.
King's Road, Clapham Park, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention
of " TYDRAUGU MARE OF PLAYING CARDS"
Sealed the 26th April 1864, and dated the 30th October 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alphonse René Le Mire
Normandy at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 30th October 1863.
I, ALPHONSE RENÉ LE MIRE NORMANDY, of Odin Lodge, King's Road,
Clapham Park, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of
the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PLAYING CARDS,"
to be as follows:-
These improvements consist in putting visibly in one, two, or more of the
front corners of playing cards ordinary Arabic 'or Roman numbers, or some
other distinctive mark or sign, whereby the value or character of the card can
be easily ascertained.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alphonse René Le Mire Normandy in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 29th April 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALPHONSE
RENÉ LE MIRE NORMANDY, of Odin Lodge, King's Road, Clapham Park, in
the County of Surrey, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Alphonse René Le Mire Normandy, Her special licence that I, the
said Alphonse René Le Mire Normandy, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alphonse René Le Mire Normandy,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANU-
FACTURE OF PLAYING CARDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Alphonse René Le Mire Normandy, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alphonse René Le Mire Normandy,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
These improvements consist in putting visibly in one, two, or more of the
front corners of playing cards ordinary Arabic or Roman numbers, or some
other distinctive mark or sign, whereby the value or character of the card can
be easily ascertained.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
In order that a person having in his hand a number of cards may more
readily see the value of each card without separating more than the corners of
each playing card of a pack of the ordinary description, consisting of spades,
clubs, diamonds, and hearts, has a figure or number or sign at one or more of
its corners indicating its valve, for instance, the 4 or 5 or 9 or other number
of spades, or of clubs, or of diamonds, or of hearts, and in the case of the ace,
2, or 3, in addition to the numeral or word denoting the value; word or other sign
to indicate spades, clubs, diamonds or hearts is added in like manner; one or
more of the corners of each court card is marked with the word king, or
queen, or knave, or other sign indicating king, queen, or knave, together with

page_text: a spade or club or diamond or heart. By these means a player, by simply
opening out the corners of the cards in his hand, will be able to know at a
glance the nature and value of each card, although the greater part of each
card is covered or hid by the other cards.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alphonse René Le Mire Normandy,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
A. NORMANDY. (L.8.)