I don't think these are very old, but I do think they're lovely and pretty cool too, and if not a one of a kind set then I think only produced as a small batch. A little reading on the history of Charades--which is what the title card on these announces them to be--reveals the game to be very intertwined with the use rebuses, which is how these cards operate. (Originating as as a literary riddle game in 18th century France, with charades riddles printed in popular magazines and even on hand fans, the game was played by describing each syllable of the answer as a separate word before describing the answer as a whole.)
These 52 cards, color printed on bright white cardstock, feature what can essentially be understood as rebuses, breaking down the solution into syllables. Certainly they could be used as inspiration for a game of "acting charades" but it would take me at least quite a long time to solve them to begin with. I've figured out a few: "A state of mind not coveted," for example, with a 500 lb. weight over a squashed "D" would be "heavy load" [low d]. Or "A medicine", with an E holding a whip chasing a woman would be "Elixir" [E licks her.]
52 cards + 2 "helping words" cards, all in excellent condition. No solutions card if there ever was one. Cards measure 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" ea. Blank backs.
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