Box Title: Game of Palmistry Fortune Telling By The Lines On The Hand.
By McLoughlin, Bros. N.Y. in 1887
Said to be “The most complete Fortune-telling game ever devised. Based upon the most ancient and esteemed method. The eminently natural one of reading the future from one’s own characters, as shown by the form and lines of the hand.” *This is one of the few remaining original sets known to exist.
Published in 1887 by the famed McLoughlin Bros. of New York, Game of Palmistry is a whimsical yet culturally significant Victorian-era parlor game. Designed for “fortune-telling,” the cards show the lines of the hand to divine personality traits, future events, and hidden truths.
McLoughlin Bros. produced this piece at the height of the 1800's fascination with spiritualism, mysticism, and pseudoscience. Palmistry, long associated with Romani traditions and occult practices, was reimagined by blending popular fortune-telling methods with the Victorian love of social parlor games.
This not only reflects the period’s playful curiosity about the supernatural but also serves as a collectible artifact of McLoughlin’s inventive publishing legacy. Complete examples are rare, making this a desirable item for collectors of early occult curiosities, and 19th-century Americana.
Title: Game of Palmistry: Fortune Telling by the Lines on the Hand
Publisher: McLoughlin Bros., New York
Publication Year: 1887
Format: Parlor / fortune-telling set
Cultural Context: Part of the late 19th-century craze for mysticism, spiritualism, and entertainment games.
The set contains 121 cards, plus 3 information cards, and 2 advertising cards.
All contained inside a hard-board box 6.6” x 5”x 1.6”. The hard-board box has some shelf ware; it is burgundy in color with beautiful gold leaf lettering and art on the cover. All the cards are in very nice condition for their age. They appear to be mostly unused with minor handling. A very well-kept 138-year-old set. A fantastic addition to your historic archive and library.
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