Welcome to the World of Playing Cards

Playing cards have been with us since the 14th century, when they first became a part of popular culture, perhaps seen as a miniature model of the universe. Over the centuries packs of cards, in all shapes and sizes, have been used for games, gambling, education, conjuring, advertising, fortune telling, political messages or the portrayal of national or ethnic identity. Their popularity is undoubtedy due to the imaginative artwork and graphic design which is sometimes overlooked, and the “then & now” of how things have changed.

Latest Articles

Garuda Indonesia

Posted by Simon Wintle • July 08, 2018 at 09:09pm

Souvenir playing cards from Garuda Indonesia Airlines, the national airline of Indonesia. Read more →

Mary Queen of Scots

Posted by Simon Wintle • July 05, 2018 at 07:20pm

Country of Origin: Austria Scotland Keywords: piatnik costume royalty

Mary Queen of Scots and other Tudor period dignitaries, published by Piatnik, 1990. Read more →

Bharata Playing Cards Blog Post

Posted by Simon Wintle • July 04, 2018 at 09:05pm

Country of Origin: India Keywords: folklore

Bharata Playing Cards - Series 2, based on Indian folk art, published by Sunish Chabba, 2018 Read more →

Shuffled Symphonies

Posted by Simon Wintle • June 29, 2018 at 11:43am

Country of Origin: UK Keywords: pepys disney cartoon

Shuffled Symphonies published by Pepys Games in association with Walt Disney, 1939. Read more →

Salon-Karte No.66

Posted by Simon Wintle • June 26, 2018 at 08:26pm

Country of Origin: Germany Romania Keywords: designer

Salon-Karte No.66 designed by Walter Krauss, c.1970 Read more →

Naipes Parliament por Caloi

Posted by Adam Wintle • June 24, 2018 at 02:22am

Country of Origin: Argentina Keywords: caloi fabril financiera cartoon cigarettes

Carlos Loiseau, better known as ‘Caloi’, was a cartoonist whose designs for Parliament Cigarettes were first published in the early 1970s. Read more →