Welcome to the World of Playing Cards. Here we celebrate the cultural heritage and history of playing cards, and the many ways in which they bring people together.
Playing cards have been shared and enjoyed for centuries for everything from games and gambling to fortune-telling, magic and conjuring.
Today they continue to be a popular and educational pastime for people of all ages and backgrounds.
We invite you to explore this exciting and vibrant aspect of our social history with us and see how things have changed over the years. Whatever your interest in cards, you'll find something interesting here. — Simon & Adam
Start Here
Explore all categories
Explore Archives
German hunting pack by Theodor Wegener
Hunters, animals and birds feature on all but the Kings in this pack by Theodor Wegener, c.1863-70.
-
German hunting pack by Theodor Wegener
Hunters, animals and birds feature on all but the Kings in this pack by Theodor Wegener, c.1863-70.
Editors' Picks
Dronning Margrethe II
by Roddy Somerville
Elegant, elongated cards designed by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
Chocolate playing cards with scenes from World War 1
by Paul Symons
An extraordinary Spanish pack of chocolate advertising playing cards dating from 1920
Dronning Margrethe II
by Roddy SomervilleElegant, elongated cards designed by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
Chocolate playing cards with scenes from World War 1
by Paul SymonsAn extraordinary Spanish pack of chocolate advertising playing cards dating from 1920
Artists & Designers
The History of Playing Cards
Playing cards arrived in Europe the late 14th century and rapidly became a part of popular culture. Antique playing cards are like a visit to the local museum and evoke images of past eras and ways of life and also demonstrate archaic technology or production methods. So what do the oldest surviving playing cards look like?
History of Playing Cards explained in 5 Minutes
Video by Art of Impossible. In this video you will get a short overview of the most important historical facts about playing cards and their history.
Hewson Replica Pack
Hand-made replica 17th century English playing cards, based on museum originals.
Master of the Banderoles
Playing Cards by the Master of the Banderoles, one of the earliest professional printmakers, c.1470.
From Contributors
.JPG){kind=avatar}
54: China 1
by Ken LodgeAlthough many people would not consider Chinese cards worth collecting, the huge variety of court designs used by the companies based in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan over the years should be of interest to those who like to enjoy variation in court cards, jokers and aces of spades.
12: Goodall & Son
by Ken LodgeCharles Goodall & Son, 1820-1922 and beyond.
Russell’s Regulars
by Rod StarlingWillis W. Russell’s “Regulars” were first issued in c.1906, a brand aimed at the armed forces, in tribute to men of the “regular army”. It was patented with ‘Long Distance Pips’ with shading in the hearts and spades.
Schweizer Trachten
by Barney TownshendSchweizer Trachten No.174 (Costumes Suisses) by Dondorf.
Luxuskarte No.75
by Barney TownshendStylistically, the deck fits easily into the Dondorf “luxury card” group. The deck has been produced for the Danish firm Adolph Wulff of Copenhagen, also for F. Tilgmann in Helsinki, and a Swedish version by Öberg & Son, Stockholm.
Encarded First Edition by Paul Carpenter
The Encarded First Edition is a limited edition of 2,500 designed by Paul Carpenter and manufactured by the Expert Playing Card Company.
National Playing Cards by Theory11
Playing cards inspired by mysterious symbolism of secret societies as well as a tribute to the National Playing Card Co.
Fractal Seed - Cyberpunk Playing Cards by Ivan Fortunov
Cyberpunk playing cards inspired by advanced science and technology in an urban dystopian future. Designed by Ivan Fortunov, 2021.
Sirocco by Riffle Shuffle Playing Card Co.
Sirocco, nautical themed playing cards by Riffle Shuffle Playing Card Co. and designed by Nathan Oser, 2020.
Collecting Themes
Advertising Collecting Themes
Closely following the development of visual advertising in general, such as on labels, packaging and posters, advertising playing cards are used in pubs and cafés and are a popular publicity item. Some packs are widely distributed, others are more exclusive. In some cases single cards are collected from inside the advertised product to complete a full set.
Carreras Ltd Tobacco Advertising
Carreras issued a number of advertising packs, cigarette and trade cards, miniature packs, etc during the 1920s and 30s.
Redheads
These unusual and striking playing cards were published sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s by the iconic Australian brand of matches, Bryant & May. Whilst the same court card images are used in each suit, the numeral cards employ matches arranged geometrically instead of the normal pips.
Alphabetti Spaghetti
Alphabetti Spaghetti Happy Families game for Crosse & Blackwell c.1978.
Biermans Genoese pattern
Biermans Genoese pattern for Clayson agricultural machinery, late 1960s.
Art & Design Collecting Themes
Design Caricatures Abstract Cartoon Celtic Deco Jugendstil Renaissance Rococo SurrealismThe playing card calls for artistic treatment and although the constrained size imposes some limitations there is an almost bewildering wealth and variety of designs in playing cards and their tuck boxes. The serious player requires design to be unobtrusive so that aesthetic considerations remain in the background. However, with modern manufacturing technology more eye-catching designs are becoming popular as gifts, collectibles and for their attractive appearance.
The Deck of Cards
The Deck of Cards by Andrew Jones Art, 1979.
Argentine Political Cards
Political Playing Cards, Buenos Aires, 1890.
Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh Spanish-suited deck, 2002.
Tarocchi di Mantegna, c.1465
The so-called Tarocchi di Mantegna (c.1465) reflect an ideological structure bringing to mind the soul's progress towards perfection.
Card Games
Collecting Themes
Games
Childhood
Currency
Educational
Happy Families
Jaques
Faulkner
Quartet
Snap
Spelling
The games we play mirror the world we live in, like popular art. There was a time when friends and family played indoor games by the fireside and enjoyed countless hours of pleasure and amusement. Children don’t play card games so much because they prefer computer games, the ultimate excitement. Antique and vintage card games offer documentary evidence, as well as nostalgic memories, of the social interaction, fashions and stereotypes of bygone days and are a study in social anthropology.
French card games are mostly Jeux des Sept Familles. German games are often pleasing on the eye, and they seem to favour quartet games. USA love quartets of world worthies like authors, painters, composers. Games are not simply an escape from the real world, they are also educational and provide a place to process what it all means.
Educación Vial
Educación Vial (Road Safety) card game published by H. Fournier, 1995.
Zwarte Piet
Zwarte Piet by Dondorf for the Dutch market, 1906.
Old Maid
Old Maid card game by Built-Rite toys, Warren Paper Products, Co., c.1960.
Happy Families of the World
Happy Families of the World published by Pepys Games, 1963.
Oracle, Divination & Tarot Collecting Themes
The art of interpreting divine omens - augury or reading karma - has since ancient times been integral to political, civic and religious life.
More recently, Cartomancy and modern esoteric tarot packs have been produced in a wide variety of conceptions and involve use of imagination and intuition to assess one’s thoughts and feelings from the view point of the symbolic images and numbers.
It is possible for an object to be construed as a game in one context, and as something other than a game in a different context.
Tarot, originally a 15th century card game, has evolved into a popular system of personal mysticism, self-exploration and spirituality more►
Jeu de Tarot Pocket Fantasy/Science-Fiction
Tarot game pack with fantasy sci-fi artwork on the trumps published by Pocket SF, France.
Stairs of Gold Tarot
Whilst the titles of the cards are in Italian, the Hebrew and Sanskrit letters on the Trump cards denote, respectively, associations with the Cabbala and Vedic metaphysics.
Taroquis ‘Obelisco’
78-card 'Taroquis Marca Obelisco' published by Mario Colombo, Buenos Aires, during the 1950s, 60s & 70s, in the style known as "Tarocco Piemontese" which had been developed by Italian cardmakers during the nineteenth century.
Recent Changes
Pentacards
A five-suited set of playing cards published by Fleet and Case Games Ltd., Rainham, Kent, UK, c.1980.
Toby’s Family Playing Cards
“Toby’s Family Playing Cards” published by G. Heath Robinson & J. Birch Ltd, London, 1920s.
Biggles
Biggles card game published by Pepys Games in 1955 based on the popular books by Capt W E Johns.
Pack of Royals
Willie Rushton’s “Pack of Royals” featuring caricatures of the Royal Family, 1995.
-
by Matt Probert
Pirates et Corsaires
“Pirates et Corsaires” playing cards illustrated by Jean Bruneau, 1984.
-
by Matt Probert
Astra Games
Astra Games was a subsidiary of the McCorquodale Group of Companies, producing playing cards during the period 1982-87.
-
by Simon Wintle
Conjuring and Magic
The art of mystifying people is very old indeed. The first conjurers were priests who obtained power over simple minds by performing magical tricks which appeared to have a supernatural origin.
-
by Simon Wintle