[1][2] The game "requires a moderate amount of skill in playing, and is well adapted to teach quickness in counting".

"[3] Like its close relative cribbage, Costly Colours is probably a descendant of Noddy, an English game that dates to at least 1589.

Although they taught it to younger folk, the latter gave it up in favour of cribbage, "though it may be doubted whether costly was not the simpler and livelier game.

"[10] In 1883, a detailed description of the rules, based on the Shrewsbury booklet and on accounts by veteran players, is recorded by Georgina Jackson in Shropshire Folk-Lore, the information having been compiled in 1874.

In 1924, the game is briefly described in Mary Webb's Shropshire novel, Precious Bane, which was set in the time of the Napoleonic Wars.

[12] Despite fading into obscurity, the game was discovered still being played in a Lancashire pub as recently as the early 1980s.

[2] A standard 52-card pack of English pattern, French-suited cards is used with Aces ranking high.

Players also score combinations in their hand as per the list in the order: points, Knaves and Deuces, pairs and prials, colours and sequences.