| "Fascinating relative of Cribbage" | |
 The Knave of Hearts from a 17th century English deck of cards. Any Knave turned as trumps becomes the Right Knave and scores "four for his heels". | |
| Origin | England |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | Costly |
| Type | matching game |
| Players | 2 |
| Cards | 52 |
| Deck | English pattern, French-suited |
| Rank (high→low) | A K Q J 10 – 2 |
| Play | Alternate |
| Playing time | 15-30 min. |
| Related games | |
| Cribbage • Noddy | |
| includes suit and colour combinations, no crib, 3 cards dealt to each player | |
Costly Colours, sometimes just called Costly, is an historical English card game for two players and a "fascinating relative of cribbage".[1][2] The game "requires a moderate amount of skill in playing, and is well adapted to teach quickness in counting".[3] It has more combinations than cribbage and retains the original scoring system for points, but does not use a 'crib'. In the 19th century it was described as "peculiar to Shropshire."[3]