of spades and Harding knowing the said marks to be counterfeited. And thirteen other counts for like offence, only charging them in a different manner. The attorney general, Spencer Perceval, opened the legal case against Harding and pursued the matter with great vigour. The evidence supported that Harding was a licensed card maker and kept two licensed shops, in which he sold playing cards. The first shop was in Hereford Street, Oxford Road and the second shop in North Row, Grosvenor Square. Harding's print shop was behind the house of Mr. Skelton, a dealer in spirits and groceries, in Green Street, Grosvenor Square. This location was where Harding created the spurious ‘duty aces.’ Mr. Hockley of the Stamp Office, the official printer of the legal ace of spades, provided evidence to the Court that he bought from Harding and his apprentice packs of playing cards, which contained a counterfeited ace of spades. Harding's apprentice gave testimony that he witnessed Harding manufacturing playing cards using forged brass duty legal stamps to place a duty stamp on the ace of spades and adhering counterfeit labels on the wrapper. Harding placed a substance on the labels to give them a gloss like the legal labels. On Saturday, 21 September 1805, at the Old Bailey, London, Harding, was capitally indicted, before Mr. Justice Heath and a jury, on two counts: 1st. Forging, fabricating, and counterfeiting the legal stamp on the Ace of Spades. 2nd. Selling and uttering playing-cards with the same, while knowing such stamp to be false. Justice Heath told the jury ‘there could be no doubt’ of Harding's guilt and they found Richard Harding guilty and he was sentenced to death by simple hanging at the age of 35. Execution Contemporary newspapers of the time had made unsuccessful attempts to secure a reprieve for Harding. On 13 November 1805, Richard Harding's execution took place in the Old Bailey, by the hangman, William Brunskill. Aftermath An account of the Court case against Harding was reported in the ‘Imperial Weekly Gazette’ published at 45, Old Bailey. The Forgery, Abolition of Punishment of Death Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, which abolished the death penalty for all offences of forgery, except for forging wills and certain powers of attorney. These exceptions were abolished under the Forgery Act 1837. See also Capital punishment in the United