Andrew Dougherty c.1850
The idiosyncratic courts used in this deck were used by several other U.S. manufacturers, including Crehore and Hart, and continued into the early 1900s in Faro decks.
Andrew Dougherty's story is a key part of the development of the American playing card industry and he can be credited with several innovations to playing cards. In late 1849 Dougherty moved his business to 78 Cliff Street in New York and operated from that address until c.1858. The idiosyncratic courts used in this early deck, with features reminiscent of the woodblock & stencil technique, were used by several other U.S. manufacturers, including Crehore and Hart, and continued into the early 1900s in Faro decks see example →
Above: an early single-ended deck with the Cliff Street address on the Ace of Spades, c.1850, printed with blue outlines. The one-way pip cards were applied using stencils. These courts were used by several manufacturers and continued into the early 1900s in Faro decks. Images courtesy Rod Starling.
REFERENCES
Dawson, Tom & Judy: The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards, U.S. Games Systems Inc., 2000
Images from the collection of Rod Starling.
By Rod Starling (1936-2023)
United States • Member since January 09, 2013
Rod Starling was one of the founding members of the 52 Plus Joker card collectors club. He authored many articles for the club's quarterly newsletter, Clear the Decks. His collection encompasses both foreign and American decks. Rod also authored a book titled The Art and Pleasures of Playing Cards.
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