However, when the real launching took place in the autumn, heralded by an intensive newspaper advertising campaign, sales, Watson managed to make the company a success. The following year, they moved to a bigger premises on Elland Road close to the football ground. They produced colour posters and advertising material for theatres. This print shop was located on Camp Road, close to where Leeds University currently stands. This was an unprecedented approach in the stationery world and there was much opposition and criticism. In 1932 Norman Victor Watson and John Waddington Limited submitted a patent application for a New Method and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Playing Cards ►

In the late 1800’s, a man called John Waddington had just completed his apprenticeship as a printer. Full of aspiration, John decided that he wanted to start up his own business. During this time all the men under 35 years of age were called up for active service and a number of the girls were also either directed to the Women’s Auxiliary Services or munition factories. The girls, however, working on the bank-note side and in the department started by ICI Metals Ltd were allowed to stay, which meant there was a nucleus of trained people available for when the war-time activities ceased. Round and oval playing cards were known in Europe as early as the fifteenth century, and examples by the Master ‘PW’, Virgil Solis and others survive. These early round cards were finely engraved miniature works of art, with non-standard suit symbols such as flowers or small animals. In India round cards are the normal shape. They are round, painted or lacquered discs of thin wood, cotton fibre paper or ivory which may contain up to eight or ten suits. Round playing cards were also produced in the USA in 1874 by I. N. Richardson and subsequently by The Globe Card Company in 1878. Whilst they were advertised as easier to hold, no corners to break, greater visibility, etc., they never achieved much popularity. In 1934 the rights for 'Monopoly' were won, which has produced about half a million pounds’ sales each year since then and set the firm on the road to greatness in the toy trade in the UK.In 1994, Waddingtons was bought by Hasbro. By this point they had produced many games which have since become household names that are both original and under licence. During the 1920’s, business was booming. The demand for standard playing cards was incredibly high and showed no signs of slowing down.

More recently, they have brought their games to online platforms. However they continue to create their traditional board game formats. Famously, he was known in business circles. Victor was the man who managed to fend off the advances of Robert Maxwell who attempted a hostile takeover in 1983.Around 1985, A.S.S. of Leinfelden took over the printing of these cards for Waddingtons and issued them in one of their typical drop-lid boxes. Churchill requested that playing card manufacture be maintained at any cost, so as to provide distraction during the endless hours of boredom in the trenches. David Thornton, Leeds: A Historical Dictionary of People, Places and Events (Huddersfield: Northern Heritage Publications, 2013), s.v. WADDINGTONS. Lexicon | V&A Explore The Collections". Victoria and Albert Museum. 4 March 2000 . Retrieved 24 May 2022.

The first edition was sold through the stationery shops at 1s. 9d. each and sales were practically non-existent.Currently, Waddingtons are continuing to produce new games. This is still done under the famous Hasbro name. have the text “Regd No.529991”. The words ‘Master’ and ‘Ltd’ are printed in a different typeface to the earlier edition.