Mr Deuceace and Mr Dawkins sitting at a round table playing cards Since 1996, this collaborative project has grown to include 4,505 articles by 28 contributors, including researchers, collectors, artists and historians covering topics from Art Nouveau to Zoology. We move beyond simply cataloguing playing cards by date, manufacturer and place of origin, and adopt a dynamic, interactive and thematic approach, bridging the past with the present, telling stories, opening conceptual perspectives and the necessary reflectiveness to gain new insights and ways to appreciate their role in history.

Tarot hiéroglyphique égyptien

The design of the cards draws inspiration from various religious and philosophical traditions merged into a sort of holistic tarot deck.

Alan Tarot Deck

Reprint of a Tarock pack originally designed by Argio Orell for the Austrian Lloyd shipping company.

Keith Haring playing cards

Energetic graffiti images by the American artist Keith Haring.

New Articles

Alan Tarot Deck
Alan Tarot Deck

Reprint of a Tarock pack originally designed by Argio Orell for the Austrian Lloyd shipping company.

Roddy Somerville • 2 days ago
Keith Haring playing cards
Keith Haring playing cards

Energetic graffiti images by the American artist Keith Haring.

Roddy Somerville • 3 days ago
Tarot Baraja Egipcia
Tarot Baraja Egipcia

Curious Tarot with Egyptian-style trumps issued by Franco Mora Ruiz from Mexico.

Roddy Somerville • 4 days ago
Heráldica Castanyer No. 16
Heráldica Castanyer No. 16

Strange variant of international pattern cards for poker or bridge.

Roddy Somerville • 4 days ago
Disney’s Aladdin playing cards
Disney’s Aladdin playing cards

Characters from the 1992 Disney film Aladdin.

Roddy Somerville • 5 days ago
La Réussite (Sébastien Féraut)
La Réussite (Sébastien Féraut)

Sébastien Féraut’s designs inspired by the animal kingdom for a set promoting patience games.

Roddy Somerville • 6 days ago
2011 Worshipful Company Pack
2011 Worshipful Company Pack

Celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, with characters adapted from drawings by ‘Kyd’.

Roddy Somerville • Jan 31, 2025
More Menthol Filter Cigarettes
More Menthol Filter Cigarettes

Elongated cards with designs by Wong Yui Man advertising More cigarettes.

Roddy Somerville • Jan 31, 2025
Le Tarot de Sète
Le Tarot de Sète

Reinterpretation of the Tarot de Marseille by Julien Labat, an artist from Sète.

Roddy Somerville • Jan 30, 2025
Animal Skat, Česká Grafická Unie
Animal Skat, Česká Grafická Unie

A non-standard deck from Czechoslovakia.

Marek Brejcha • Jan 30, 2025
Oracle Rock
Oracle Rock

Cartomantic set depicting rock and pop stars, designed by La Rata, with a book by Virginie Despentes.

Roddy Somerville • Jan 29, 2025

Current Trends

Tarot of the Unknown 2019

Inspired by the Halloween Cartoon “Over the Garden Wall”.

Canasta 1947

Canasta is a card game of the Rummy family which originated in Uruguay probably about 1947.

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.

Rider-Waite Tarot 1909

The Rider Waite Tarot was created at the beginning of the 20th century by Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith.

Cartes Lenormand 1920

“Cartes Lenormand” published by H. P. Gibson & Sons Ltd, London, printed in Germany by B. Dondorf, 1920s.

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...

Mamluk Playing Cards 1495

Nã'ib, the game of lieutenants... these cards are amongst the earliest Arabic playing cards extant.

Perspectives on the History of Tarot 1435

Tarot, originally a 15th century card game from Italy, has evolved into a form of personal mysticism and spiritual exploration, offering new visions of expanding awareness.

Playing cards are used for fortune-telling, predicting the future or even as a psychological adjunct to folk medicine and therapy. Turning another card illumines the moment and new clarity emerges.

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.

The 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 bo...

Early History of Playing Cards & Timeline 1370

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...


Explore

4,505 articles featuring content from 118 countries, 1,330 manufacturers and 1,111 designers; including 386 themes, 265 brands, 76 suits, 50 games and 31 licenses.

A decorative black and white line ornament with a circular design in the center and horizontal lines extending from both sides

Tarot
Tarot, originally a 15th century card game from Italy, has evolved into a form of personal mysticism and spiritual exploration, offering new visions of expanding awareness. more
2022 Dungeons and Dragons Tarot
1909 Rider-Waite Tarot

Rider-Waite Tarot

By Saskia Jansen

1460 The Visconti-Sforza Tarot, c.1460

Political
Political playing cards were introduced in the 17th century providing entertainment by satirising or deriding current events and leaders. Propaganda cards, Imperial decks, war cards and even educational card games all carry a message which relates to the politics of memory, the means by which events are remembered and recorded, the way history is written and passed on. Historical memory can be used to arouse emotional reactions...
1798 Pam is the Knave of Clubs

Pam is the Knave of Clubs

By Simon Wintle

1934 Anti-Religions

Anti-Religions

By Barney Townshend

1679 Knavery of the Rump, 1679

Knavery of the Rump, 1679

By Simon Wintle

1898 Kaiser Jubiläum

Kaiser Jubiläum

By Simon Wintle


Ganjifa

This term refers to a family of card games that originated in Persia and spread to India during the Moghul period. The traditional Ganjifa deck consists of 96 cards divided into eight suits. The cards are typically round and hand-painted with intricate designs. The games played with this pack often involve trick-taking mechanics, and the rules can vary significantly depending on the region and specific variant of the game being played.

2016 Guru Ganjifa

Guru Ganjifa

By Simon Wintle

1875 Ganjifa - Playing Cards from India

Art Nouveau & Jugendstil
Art Nouveau, also known as Jugendstil, was an artistic movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century, around the 1890s. It was inspired by a desire to break away from the academic and historicist styles that dominated art and design at the time and to create a new, modern aesthetic that reflected the changing world and the spirit of the age. Major influences on the Art Nouveau movement were the growing interest in Eastern art and design, including “exotica”, curvilinear forms and decorative motifs drawn from nature, and advances in technology. Playing cards provide many elegant and refined examples of this style, with intricate designs, bold patterns, and vibrant colours.
1898 Otto Tragy Jugendstil Spielkarten
Jeu de Cartes No.1

Jeu de Cartes No.1

By Barney Townshend

1970 The Aquarian Tarot Deck

The Aquarian Tarot Deck

By Adam West-Watson

1900 Jeu Moyen Age

Jeu Moyen Age

By Barney Townshend


Myths & Legends
The great struggle between Light and Darkness, between the Titans and the Gods, often reframed as The Evil Empire, dystopia/utopia or irreconcilable political opponents. These themes are frequently chosen by playing card designers to create imaginative and visually striking playing card or tarot card designs.
Suicide King

Suicide King

By Simon Wintle

1973 Carte Romane

Carte Romane

By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

1989 Zodiac Bridge

Zodiac Bridge

By Simon Wintle


The Big Picture

Playing cards have a universal appeal and are a reflection of human culture.

A decorative black and white line ornament with a circular design in the center and horizontal lines extending from both sides
Simon & Adam Wintle

Above: Chinese money-suited cards. Some of the earliest cards have origins in the Far East.

Playing cards are a part of almost every culture and society around the world. These small, rectangular pieces of paper have been a source of entertainment for generations and are still enjoyed by people of all ages today. Whether it's a simple game of solitaire, a high-stakes game of poker, or a magic trick that delights, there's something about 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!"

Dasavatara Ganjifa from India

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.

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.

Playing cards from different cultures

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.

References

  • The Playing Card, Delef Hoffmann, 1972
  • Collecting Playing Cards, Sylvia Mann, 1966