Patience-Whist No. 140 by Piatnik

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Patience card deck was part of Piatnik’s regular product line.¹ This leading European manufacturer also offered Patience-Whist No. 140 as part of its extensive product range. See the box

The deck does not deviate in any way from the expected format for a Solitaire game. Piatnik released this successful design in many editions throughout the 20th century.² This particular deck contains cards measuring 68 x 44 mm³ in a chromolithographic design with gilded corners. The court cards depict traditional aristocratic figures, and the pip cards also follow the standard design without any anomalies. The ace cards feature simple rococo cartouches.⁴ In terms of the deck’s development, this version lacks corner indices and a Joker card, which were added in later editions. The rhombus on the ace of hearts, which in other editions serves as the manufacturer’s logo, features only an unusual text stamp . The extra card bearing the company’s logo has a plain white back.

A distinctive feature of this deck is the reverse side, which features a blue-and-yellow ornament that does not match the pattern shown on the box. The main point of interest is the text on the Jack of Clubs: “S. Salomon & Co., Kjøbenhavn ”. The fact that the Piatnik company supplied its cards to this Danish firm is well documented elsewhere. In this case, therefore, it appears that unsold stock is being sold under the company’s own brand. According to the tax stamp on the ace of hearts, the cards were supplied for sale in Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1920.

An Austrian deck, originally produced for the Danish market, is being used in Czechoslovakia. Cards have always been a medium that crosses borders and connects nations.

Above: Patience-Whist No.140 manufactured by Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne for S. Salomon & Co., Kjøbenhavn, c.1919.

Acknowledgements & References

I would like to thank Vladislav Šedivý for his consultation regarding the precise identification of the tax stamp .

1. The company name “Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne AG” is documented between 1919 and 1939: Kartenmacher in Wien ►
2. WWPCM01638: patience deck "Rococco" ►
3. Tony Hall classifies this as a medium size: Patience Cards and their Boxes ►
4. The typical Rococo motif may cause occasional confusion with a similar product from Piatnik known as “Rococo Patience”.