Saga aka King Arthur
Capturing the spirit of medieval legend on playing cards.
Saga No. 2140 presents figures from three European epic traditions with visuals approximating medieval manuscript art. The clubs and diamonds courts are dedicated to the Arthurian cycle with figures like King Arthur and Lancelot. Spades draw from the Germanic Nibelungenlied with Siegfried the dragon slayer and his wife Kriemhild. Lastly, hearts represent the Carolingian cycle with Charlemagne, his wife Hildegarde, and his champion, the horn-blowing Roland.
Saga No. 2140 playing cards published by Piatnik, Austria, 1978.
The aces and backs are generic coats-of-arms with playing card suits while harp-bearing minstrels serve as jokers.
Strangely enough, Piatnik also issued this deck under the title King Arthur, even though half the cards aren’t related to the Arthurian legend. The King Arthur version has the same product number, courts, jokers, and backs, the only difference being slight color tweaks to the borders around the cards. The King Arthur deck comes with an explanatory brochure; it’s unclear whether Saga did as well. It’s also unclear which of the two decks was published first.
By Lev Golinkin
United States • Member since May 26, 2026
I'm a US-based author and journalist. I've been collecting playing cards since I was about 8 years old, when I got mesmerized by the various decks that were used in Soviet Ukraine, where I'm from. I collect mainly European decks such as those by Dondorf, Grimaud, and Piatnik. I love courts above all else, and am drawn toward historical and artistic decks.
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