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
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150 Years of Czechoslovakian Railways
Czech trains and railwayana from 1839 to 1989, made by Obchodní Tiskárny, Prague, Czechoslovakia.
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150 Years of Czechoslovakian Railways
Czech trains and railwayana from 1839 to 1989, made by Obchodní Tiskárny, Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Editors' Picks
German hunting pack by Theodor Wegener
by Roddy Somerville
Hunters, animals and birds feature on all but the Kings in this pack by Theodor Wegener, c.1863-70.
Chocolate playing cards with scenes from World War 1
by Paul Symons
An extraordinary Spanish pack of chocolate advertising playing cards dating from 1920
Cadiz-Catalan style pack
by Roddy Somerville
High-quality standard designs by Sebastián Comas y Ricart, Barcelona, Spain, 1896.
German hunting pack by Theodor Wegener
by Roddy SomervilleHunters, animals and birds feature on all but the Kings in this pack by Theodor Wegener, c.1863-70.
Chocolate playing cards with scenes from World War 1
by Paul SymonsAn extraordinary Spanish pack of chocolate advertising playing cards dating from 1920
Cadiz-Catalan style pack
by Roddy SomervilleHigh-quality standard designs by Sebastián Comas y Ricart, Barcelona, Spain, 1896.
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?
Provence Pattern
The 'Provence' pattern contains figures which go back to the fifteenth century.
The History of Playing Cards
Playing Cards have been around in Europe since the 1370s. Some early packs were hand painted works of art which were expensive and affordable only by the wealthy. But as demand increased cheaper methods of production were discovered so that playing cards became available for everyone...
Rois de France
Cartes des Rois de France (1644) facsimile edition by Edizioni del Solleone, 1986.
Geographical Playing Cards, c.1682
Geographical playing cards sold by Henry Brome, second edition, c.1682.
From Contributors
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22: Belgian Makers: Van Genechten
by Ken LodgeVan Genechten started making playing cards in c.1840 and continued until the founding of Carta Mundi in 1970.
Past-L-Eze Playing Cards
by Barney TownshendOn “Past-L-Eze” playing cards Kings, Queens and Jacks are no longer stodgy and conventional but pleasingly reflect suspicion, flirtation and worry.
Submarine Cards
by Barney TownshendLighting in submarines involved wearing red goggles to preserve night vision for viewing instrument panels. The goggles solved one problem but created another: the red suits on playing cards were not visible through the red goggles.
American Bank Note Company
by Rod StarlingThe American Bank Note Company was a long-established firm producing national currency, finely engraved stock certificates and other security printing, including postage stamps. They also entered the playing card market c.1908-1914.
44: Australia
by Ken LodgeTwo early makers, Thomas and Sands & McDougall, used courts copied from those of the New York Consolidated Card Co.
The Grand Chinatown Edition by Riffle Shuffle Playing Card Co.
1920s gangster-themed playing cards, "The Grand", were produced by Kevin Yu under the Riffle Shuffle Playing Card Company brand name, after raising CAD$104,453 from 884 backers on Kickstarter in 2021.
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.
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.
Playboy Fragrances, 2010
In 2010 Playboy Fragrances (Coty) released a 'gaming' set promotion comprising two decks of identical cards, one set of five dice and poker chips.
Chocolat du Planteur
Chocolat du Planteur cards (reproduction) by French artist Louis Bourgeois-Borgex, c.1900.
Grolsch Brewery
A somewhat unusual deck specially designed for Grolsch Breweries evoking self-expression and independence of spirit, c.2012
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.
San Playing Cards
Rock paintings and engravings of the San people, better known as the “Bushmen”.
Neue Deutsche Spielkarte
Neue Deutsche Spielkarte (Reformkarte) conceived by Dr. Timon Schroeter, 1883.
Punch Studio: ‘Geisha Girls’
‘Geisha Girls’ playing cards published by Punch Studio, Culver City, CA., 2013
Periquito y Tontín Dominoes
Periquito y Tontín Dominoes, featuring Feliz and Bonzo, 1920s.
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.
Snap
Snap, the Old Original Game, has captured the imaginations of children for over a century!
Casais Portugueses
Matching game by Majora, Lisbon, c.1970, featuring figures in national dress from Portuguese provinces and colonies
Die Vogel-Welt No. 351
Dondorf’s “Die Vogel-Welt” No. 351 quartet game, c.1905
El Negrito Pedro, c.1950s
El Negrito Pedro, children’s card game, Buenos Aires, Argentina, c.1950s.
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►
Le Destin Antique
Le Jeu du Destin Antique, originally published by Grimaud in XIX c., republished many times since...
Austrian Cartomancy Cards
During the 19th century a system of fortune telling arose in Europe using unnumbered, pictorial cards depicting popular imagery with subtitles in several languages.
Tarot of Musterberg
Designed by Cesare Asaro to simulate decks from the 1700s or earlier, the Tarot of Musterberg is based on the traditional Tarot de Marseille but with an imaginary historical background.
Cartomancy and Divination Cards
Playing cards are used for fortune-telling, predicting the future or even as a psychological adjunct to folk medicine and therapy.
Recent Changes
Piñón Fijo
“Piñón Fijo” is an Argentine clown, whose real name is Fabián Gómez. He is well-known on Argentine children's television.
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by Simon Wintle
68: Playing cards in glass
My wife and I have recently commissioned a unique pair of stained glass windows for our home.
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by Ken Lodge
Islenzk Spil
This historical Icelandic deck was first published in c.1930 and shows the native Icelandic Vikings of some thousand years ago rendered in a romantic naturalistic style.
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by Simon Wintle
No.6 Austrian
This early Gerich work is an adaptation of the English pattern with continental stylisation. The double-ended designs are slightly different at each end and divided by a gold band.
Jack Horner Snap
“Little Jack Horner” Snap made by Thomas De la Rue & Co Ltd, c.1890.
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by Simon Wintle
De La Rue
De La Rue introduced letter-press printing into playing card production and his patent was granted in 1831. He produced his first playing cards in 1832.
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by Simon Wintle