The archive looks beyond the basics such as who made a deck and when. It records how cards were designed, printed and traded, how they were regulated, and what their imagery was intended to convey. All content is edited with care and supported by sources, images and dates to support reliable research.
New Articles
Royal Mischief Transformation
Royal Mischief Transformation reworks Patrick Valenza’s Royal Mischief characters and imagery as a comp...
Paul Bostock • 3 days agoMamluk Cards and the Making of the European Deck
Mamluk “naib” cards — four suits with named courts — offer a persuasive clue to how playing cards reach...
Paul Bostock • 5 days agoDavid’s fortune-telling cards
Entertaining and easy-to-use fortune-telling cards published by David, Paris, c.1895.
Roddy Somerville • Dec 28, 2025X'Mas Elf Tarot
Deckstiny’s X’Mas Elf Tarot is a Christmas-themed Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck from Thailand, illustrated in a...
Adam Wintle • Dec 23, 2025Dielo playing cards
Heroic Socialist-style version of the Four Seasons pattern from Bratislava.
Roddy Somerville • Dec 22, 2025Ormavyl
Branded advertising playing cards with modern look made in France, 1970s.
Tamir Shpigelman • Dec 21, 2025Augustin Playing Cards
Augustin street newspaper playing cards illustrated by Thomas Kriebaum.
Konrad Hämmerle • Dec 19, 2025Gibert Jeune (Molière)
Pack offered by the Parisian bookshop Gibert Jeune on the tricentenary of Molière’s death.
Roddy Somerville • Dec 18, 2025The Sola-Busca Tarot
Humanist Iconography, Alchemical Metaphor, and the Origins of the Illustrated Minor Arcana.
Simon Wintle • Dec 17, 2025Current Trends
Playing cards appear in European records in the late 14th century, but their earlier history lies further east. The material record, surviving packs and documentary references show how cards moved int...
From a Renaissance Card Game to a Medium of Spiritual Meaning and Identity.
The 'Joker' is believed to have been invented by American Euchre players who, when modifying the rules sometime during the 1860s, decided that an extra trump card was required.
The King of Hearts, holding a sword behind his head, is sometimes nicknamed the “Suicide King”. He can be seen to derive from a late medieval design showing a King wielding a battle axe.
Out of an apparent void, a constellation of references in early literature emerge pointing to the sudden arrival of playing cards, principally in Belgium, Germany, Spain and Italy around 1370-1380. Di...
Nã'ib, the game of lieutenants... these cards are amongst the earliest Arabic playing cards extant.
The Chinese took their cards with them wherever they travelled and traded in the East, and we find Chinese cards in use not only in the mainland but also in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Sin...
Over the years the origin of Blackjack, like many other games, has eluded researchers for a long time and which continues to be hotly debated to this day.
The luxury playing card factory founded in Frankfurt am Main by Bernhard Dondorf in 1833 existed for 100 years.
Explore
4,743 articles featuring content from 120 countries and 388 themes; including 1,385 manufacturers, 1,158 designers, 266 brands, 77 suits, 58 games and 31 licenses.
United States Playing Card Co.
Iraqi Most Wanted Playing Cards
Playing cards used to help troops identify the most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's government. 2...
By Peter Burnett
Bicycle No.808
The famous Bicycle playing cards were first introduced by Russell & Morgan Printing Co in 1885. More...
By Simon Wintle
Playboy playing cards
52 different magazine covers from the first 50 years of Playboy.
By Roddy Somerville
Bicycle Playing Cards, 1st edition
1st edition of famous Bicycle Playing Cards printed by Russell & Morgan Printing Co., Cincinnati, 18...
By Rod Starling (1936-2023)
South East Asia
Brunei • Cambodia • East Timor • Indonesia • Laos • Malaysia • Myanmar (Burma) • Philippines • Singapore • Thailand • Vietnam
REFERENCES:
- Reid, Anhtony: Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce 1450-1680, Yale University Press, 1988
Thai Playing Cards Manufacturing Factory
Thai Playing Cards Manufacturing Factory was established in 1938 as part of the government Excise De...
By Adam Wintle
Thai & Siamese Playing Cards
The Portuguese were the first Westerners to trade with Ayutthaya in Thailand in the 16th century. Tr...
By Adam Wintle
Tam Cúc 三菊
Tam Cúc playing cards from Vietnam (Việt Nam), based on Chinese chess, 2016
By Anthony Lee
Hee Trading Co
Hee Trading Co., Malaysia, manufacture board games, jig-saw puzzles, chess sets, games compendiums a...
By Anthony Lee
Woodblock (Xylography or Block Printed) Playing Cards
This section focuses on "Woodblock (Xylography or Block Printed) Playing Cards". Originating in 9th-century China and later appearing in 14th-century Europe, these cards represent significant historical and cultural shifts. The prominence of woodblock printing increased in the 15th century. This list showcases examples of these card packs, along with several articles detailing the woodblock printing process.
Hewson Replica Pack
Hand-made replica 17th century English playing cards, based on museum originals.
By Simon Wintle
Woodblock and Stencil Playing Cards
Around 1987 I decided to make a pack of playing cards from woodblocks and coloured with stencils. I ...
By Simon Wintle
Early Anglo-French Cards
Cards produced in Rouen during the sixteenth century. It was cards like these which were imported to...
By Simon Wintle
Russian Standard Playing Cards
Cards from an early version of a Russian standard woodblock and stencil pack of circa 1820.
By Simon Wintle
Taxation and Tax Stamps in relation to Playing Cards
The combination of moral objections to gambling and the search for additional revenues prompted many governments to introduce taxes on playing cards. In many cases the collection and control of such taxes required administrative bureaucracy that led to financial expense, as well as corruption. Additionally, enforcement and avoidance (e.g., smuggling, forgery) often undermined the good intentions. The effectiveness of taxes on playing cards was therefore not always optimal and in most cases it was phased out.
The collection and control was carried out in different ways. The most common system was stamping the cards with a well-readable tax stamp, often on an ace or another pip card. Stamps, embossing, watermarks, adhesive strips, extra labels or seals etc were sometimes used around the wrappers or on the box. The tax collector might then sign when satisfied. Stamps in different countries had their own national symbolism, depending on the period in which they were used • See also Monopolies • Estanco de Naipes del Perú►
Tunisia
Playing Cards in Tunisia. Chkobba is one of the most popular card games in Tunisia, mainly played by...
By Simon Wintle
United Kingdom
Playing cards first arrived in England during the 15th century, but none have survived from such an ...
By Simon Wintle
Tax on Spanish Playing Cards
Taxation on Spanish playing cards, the monopolies and smuggling.
By Simon Wintle
Russian Playing Card Monopoly
The Russian Playing Card Monopoly was established in March 1798 with all revenue going to support th...
By Peter Burnett
Arabic
In addition to the Arabic language or the people who speak it, "Arabic" can also be used to refer to cultural, historical or geographical elements associated with the Arab world. This can include literature, music, art, cuisine and architecture, as well as history, politics, religion, traditions and social structures of different Arab societies. It is worth noting that the term "Arabic" may have different meanings depending on the context in which it is used.
Mamluk Playing Cards
Nã'ib, the game of lieutenants... these cards are amongst the earliest Arabic playing cards ext...
By Simon Wintle
Tunisia
Playing Cards in Tunisia. Chkobba is one of the most popular card games in Tunisia, mainly played by...
By Simon Wintle
Playing cards in Morocco
The earliest literary references to playing cards in Europe refer to the game having been introduced...
By Simon Wintle
Iranian Popular Art
Representing Iranian culture and history and intended for a Persian market, these playing cards were...
By Barney Townshend
Spielkarten-Fabrik Joseph Glanz, Vienna
In 1848, Joseph Glanz (1795-1866) bought the established card manufacturing company Max Uffenheimer with the address Kohlmarkt No. 282 Vienna.
After the death of Joseph Glanz, his son-in-law Stanislaus von Abrahamsberg (1819-1910) took over the management of the company.
In 1867-1868, an attempt was made to merge with the manufacturer Georg Geiselreiter from Wiener Neustadt and create a joint company J. Glanz & Geiselreiter. After this unsuccessful attempt, the name was slightly changed to Josef Glanz.
Under the leadership of von Abrahamsberg, the company also tries to expand by acquiring other companies (Johann Ritter/Prague 1870, Österr. Spielkarten-Fabriks-Ges.(Samuel Königsgarten)/Vienna 1887, Vannak Jàtékkártyagyár Jànos Vàradi/Budapest 1906). Over time, however, it gradually sold these parts to the company Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne.
In 1897, a long-term purchase agreement was also concluded for the entire company, which was fulfilled in 1912. This means that the brand, which, together with Piatnik, was the most important card manufacturer in the second half of the 19th century in Austria-Hungary, ceases to exist.
The company's own address has changed over time. It is documented in reference no. 2 and can serve as a guide for dating a specific deck of cards.
Julius Berndl and his Austrian tarock
Josef Glanz's Tarock: a classic deck with artistic innovation by Julius Berndl.
By Marek Brejcha
Gigerl-Tarock by Joseph Glanz
Urban Dandy caricature deck from 19th century Vienna designed by Julius Berndl.
By Marek Brejcha
Patience by Joseph Glanz
A refined and distinctly European Patience pack by Joseph Glanz from Austria.
By Marek Brejcha
Whist by Ditha Moser
Ditha Moser created this minimalist Whist deck in 1905, in the style of the Vienna Secession art mov...
By Marek Brejcha
The English Playing Card Society
Founded in 1984, the English Playing Card Society (EPCS) promotes research into the history and development of English playing cards and card games, and supports the exchange of information and ideas between collectors, researchers, archivists, designers, manufacturers and dealers.
The Society publishes the EPCS Newsletter three times a year and maintains an online archive of back issues.
Newsletter covers (select a cover to browse the archive)
The Big Picture
Playing cards have a universal appeal and are a reflection of human culture.
Above: Chinese money-suited cards. Some of the earliest cards have origins in the Far East.
Playing cards have a long history and cultural significance, forming a part of almost every society around the world. The origins of playing cards can be traced back centuries, and today they remain a universal symbol of creativity, entertainment, and human connection. These small, rectangular pieces of paper have been a source of fun for generations and are still enjoyed in countless ways—whether in a simple game of solitaire, a high-stakes poker match, or the tarot cards used for fortune-telling. There is something about the history and design of playing cards that captures the imagination and inspires creativity. As Delef Hoffmann once said, “whether we consider cards as mere merchandise or as the bond which unites people with one another, just think of what we would be if we had no cards! How boring and unsociable our lives would be without this invention!”
Above: Dasavatara Ganjifa from India. Playing cards from India are often circular.
The origin of cards can be traced back to China, where they were first used as early as the 9th century. From there, the cards travelled across Asia and the Middle East, and finally found their way to Europe in the 14th century.
Since then, playing cards have been used for a wide range of purposes, including fortune-telling and even propaganda. But the most significant impact they have had on humanity is through their use in games, which have brought people together for centuries.
Above left: a set of Spanish playing cards from 1638 was discovered inside a prison wall during demolition, likely used for gambling by prisoners. Above center: Trump Presidential playing cards, playing cards are often used for political messages. Above right: the Magician from the popualr Rider-Waite tarot, which has become the template for modern tarot decks.
While playing cards have brought people together for fun and play, they have also been a source of disruption in the form of gambling. For many, gambling has become an addiction, leading to financial ruin and even anti-social problems.
The artistic value of cards cannot be overlooked, with their intricate details and unique designs of each card reflecting the creativity and ingenuity of artists. Playing cards are a reflection of our society, with each country and region having its unique designs and styles. As Sylvia Mann put it "there are fashions in cards, and these fashions very often reflect the history of the times". From the bold and colourful designs of India to the intricate and detailed patterns of Russia, playing cards are a testament to the creativity and diversity of the human experience.
Above left: Kashmir Playing Cards, above center: Ethiopian Air Lines playing cards produced by Nintendo, above right: striking playing cards designed by Masuo Ikeda.
Playing cards have a wide embrace, spanning across cultures and countries, with a scope of diverse subjects that reflect the values and beliefs of their respective societies.
Playing cards are an enduring symbol of human connection and creativity, transcending language, borders and cultures. Through the power of games, they have brought people together for centuries, creating shared experiences that have fostered friendships, learning and social bonds. While their role in gambling has been disruptive, their stunning artistic designs elevate them to works of art, worthy of appreciation and admiration. Playing cards are a testament to the power of human creativity and a reflection of the rich cultural tapestry of our world.
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