Trappola Pack by Johann Nejedly

The deck features a standard pattern registered by the IPCS as The 19th-century Empire Trappola, in a double-headed variant. The cards measure 59 x 127 mm; the reverse side features a typical pattern of overlapping red and black zigzag lines known as the older type of Viennese lightning. The Ace of Clubs bears the inscription “Johann Nejedly, inventor and patent holder”; the text on the Two of Swords can be translated as “Newly invented, imperial patent-protected, washable cards manufactured in Vienna.” The remnants of the tax stamp on the ten of coins can be identified as Austro-Hungarian, used between 1882 and 1899. Despite the relatively late dating indicated by the tax stamp, the cards appear to have been produced from woodcuts and coloured using stencils. One of the minor peculiarities of Trappola cards is the frequent writing of the Roman numeral IX in the form VIIII. On Nejedly’s cards, this anomaly is used only on the Nine of Cups.

Above: 36-card Trappola pack by Johann Nejedly, Vienna, 1882. 59 x 127 mm. The text on the Two of Swords can be translated as “Newly invented, imperial patent-protected, washable cards manufactured in Vienna”.

The information provided about the invention and the patent can be traced back to a record from the Austrian Patent Office. On January 10, 1859, Johann Nejedly was granted a two-year patent titled “Surface Treatment of Playing Cards.” In the surviving text, he discusses the treatment of the card surface to improve colour durability and the use of shellac to improve the cards’ glide and washability. In the patent application, Nejedly identifies himself as a chemist . The signature can also be interpreted as another indication (besides his name) of Joh. Nejedly’s Czech origins. He used a diaeresis (ý) above the “y”, which is commonly omitted in the German-speaking Viennese environment.

This deck of cards may also demonstrate the success of the technological process. Despite clear signs of significant wear, the face side exhibits smoothness and gloss, and the colours have lost none of their original richness. The back side lacks the glossy finish, yet the coloration remains uniform without any widespread defects. The playing card stock itself is very thick and gives the impression of small boards rather than paper. It is clear that Johann Nejedly’s aim was to create a product with a long lifespan and maximum user comfort. (An interesting minor detail regarding the deck’s durability is the secondary repair of the Ace of Cups - a local patch with paper tape and colour restoration using crayons.)

After Nejedly’s patent expired, the well-known Viennese card manufacturer Ferdinand Piatnik filed a significantly simpler patent on November 1, 1861, for “Lacquered playing cards,” valid for one year and subsequently extended to seven years.

At the World’s Fair in Vienna in 1873 (Wiener Weltausstellung 1873), Johann Nejedly received a Medal of Merit for his washable playing cards.

For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that on December 31, 1879, another patent by Johann Nejedly titled “Improvements to Playing Cards” was also registered; unfortunately, the text is not available. Here, Nejedly is already described as a Factory owner in Vienna. The patent can almost certainly be linked to his Tarock cards, though it is unclear what exactly the innovation entails. I am inclined to believe that it might involve the addition of indices in the right corner of the cards.

References

On the history of Trappola game: David Sidney Parlett - Oxford Guide to Card Games, 1990

Empire Trappola pattern by IPCS: pattern sheet 43

Manufacturer Johann Nejedly in the database of the Austrian company Talon (in German)

Patents related to playing cards in the 19th century from the archives of the Austrian Patent Office (database of the Austrian company Talon, in German)