Editor's Picks
Playing cards have enormous educational value, with a long history and many diverse types and graphical styles from around the world... View More →
Hard-a-Port Tobacco
The “Hard-a-Port Cut Plug” series depicts actresses with angelic faces dressed for the pantomime or dance hall.
Stefans Bercs, 1923
In 1923 a competition was announced for a new Latvian pack. Stefans Bercs was the winner...
Manufacturing Processes
Innovations in printing technologies have impacted the appearance of playing cards. View More →
Manufacture of Cards
Article about Manufacture of Playing Cards, 1825: pasting, stencilling, polishing, cutting, etc.
Woodblock playing cards
The Woodblock and Stencil Pack of standard English playing cards by Simon Wintle
Hafez Fortune Telling Cards
Fortune Tellers use the Hafez Cards by interpreting the Hāfez poems printed on the card backs when cards are selected randomly by their consultants.
Lenormand Deck, c.1890
Mlle Lenormand Cartomancy Deck made by Vereinigte Stralsunder Spielkartenfabriken, Stralsund, c.1890
Charles Cheminade Tarot
Marseille Tarot cards by Charles Cheminade of Grenoble, France, early 18th century.
Austrian Lloyd Steamship Co.
Printed by Modiano for the Austrian Lloyd Steamship Company of Trieste in c.1895.
Wills's Happy Families
Wills’s “Happy Families” cards were issued by the Imperial Tobacco Company (of Great Britain and Ireland) Limited in around 1930.
Children’s Card Games
The games we play mirror the world we live in. Produced to meet the ever-changing needs of consumers, children's games directly reflect the popular fashions, society and politics of the time. View More →
Art & Design
Playing cards have been with us since the 14th century, when they first became a part of popular culture. Over the centuries superb artwork, graphic design and self-expression has been hidden within packs of cards. View More →
Bernhard Altmann: Cashmere
"Cashmere Playing Cards" in which the court cards are warriors, rulers and women who were particularly interested in the Cashmere trade...
Playing Cards by Alvaros
Playing Cards designed by Alvaros, Published by Eduardo Carrión, Montevideo, 2000
