Search form

BROWSE BY: FILM  |  ACTOR  |  PRODUCT  |  NO TIME TO DIE  |  GIFT GUIDE
When you purchase through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more.
Advertisement
Orlebar Brown

Waddingtons Zodiac Playing Cards

James Bond plays patience with Waddingtons Zodiac cards in Miss Taro's bedroom.
James Bond plays patience with Waddingtons Zodiac cards in Miss Taro's bedroom.
photo © Danjaq LLC, United Artists
photo © Danjaq LLC, United Artists
The cards can be seen on the table next to Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No.
photo © Danjaq LLC, United Artists

photo © Danjaq LLC, United Artists
Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No, aiming his gun at Professor Dent. The cards can be seen on the table.
photo © Danjaq LLC, United Artists

photo © Danjaq LLC, United Artists
Enhanced image of the cards in the film.
photo © Danjaq LLC, United Artists

photo © eBay / enhanced by Bond Lifestyle
Waddingtons red Zodiac playing cards.
photo © eBay / enhanced by Bond Lifestyle

photo © eBay / enhanced by Bond Lifestyle
Waddingtons red Zodiac card box.
photo © eBay / enhanced by Bond Lifestyle

James Bond (Sean Connery) plays the patience, or solitaire, card game with a deck of red Waddingtons Thomas De La Rue zodiac playing cards in the first James Bond movie Dr. No (1962).

Bond picks up the vintage 1960's playing cards in Miss Taro (Zena Marshall's bedroom and starts playing a game by himself while waiting for Professor Dent (Anthony Dawson). This is the iconic scene where Bond says "That's a Smith & Wesson and you've had your six." and kills Dent.

The red playing cards can clearly be seen on the little table next to Bond. The back of the cards have a red checkered design. The images on the blocks represent the Zodiac signs. The star signs are red on white and gold on red.

The same deck was also available in the color blue.

The Zodiac playing cards were created by Waddington's for Thomas De La Rue. Some decks have the "De La Rue" name on the Ace cards, but most cards have "Waddingtons" on the Ace card.

These vintage cards are sometimes offered on eBay and you can also find some replica cards there.

shop now

About De La Rue plc and Waddingtons
De La Rue plc is a British printing company founded in 1821 by Thomas De La Rue. The company is currently best known for being a stamp and banknote printer, which it still does to this day. Customers include governments, central banks and leading brands. But in the 1800s the company was a big player in the playing card industry.

Starting in 1831, the company started printing playing cards. In 1940 the old De La Rue printing works at Bunhill Row in London was destroyed by air raids. From 1941 onwards the printing of De La Rue’s playing cards was undertaken by Waddingtons in Leeds. In 1969 De La Rue completely sold its playing card business to Waddingtons, a company which was bought by Hasbro in 1994.

The Waddingtons brand is still used today, even for a deck of James Bond 007 cards, available for only $6.75 on Amazon, or read more here.

Product Code: 
ca011

James Bond Holiday Gift

Comments

If anyone had this I'd be willing to buy it. willhughes6776@gmail.com

Add new comment

Advertisement

Sunspel Black Friday