The World of Playing Cards Logo
Published March 26, 2015 Updated June 08, 2022

Tops and Tails

‘Sports Tops and Tails’ No.290 manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, c.1950s.

1955 Austria Piatnik Willy Mayrl Cartoon Sports Card Games Add to Collection
Willy Mayrl

‘Sports Tops and Tails’ No.290 designed by Willy Mayrl manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, c.1950s. The game comprises 48 cards forming 24 complete comical pictures which can be paired in hundreds of different combinations. Several companion games were also produced featuring animals or costumes, as nos 288 & 289 based on the same idea. The rules for the game are printed on the back of the box

‘Sports Tops and Tails’ No.290 manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, c.1950s. ‘Sports Tops and Tails’ No.290 manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, c.1950s. ‘Sports Tops and Tails’ No.290 manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, c.1950s. Willy Mayrl

Above: ‘Sports Tops and Tails’ No.290 manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, c.1950s. 48 cards forming 24 complete pictures which can be paired in up to 576 different combinations. The artist's name is not stated but is Willy Mayrl, his logo is at the bottom-right of card 18.


‘Sports Tops and Tails’ No.290 manufactured by Ferd Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, c.1950s.

Visual artist Willy Mayrl (born 1915) was responsible for the artistic design of Piatnik’s playing cards for decades and also made a name for himself as a children’s book illustrator and landscape and portrait painter.

avatar
1,415 Articles

By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.


Related Articles

Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs

Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs

A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Hearts

A limited edition art print of the Jack of Hearts 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds

Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds

A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Joker

Woodblock and Stencil Joker

A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.

2009 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Pack featuring six images from the Disney film of the same name, on cards made for Eastern Europe.

2009 Winnie the Pooh Rummy

Winnie the Pooh Rummy

Disney’s Winnie the Pooh and friends on a pack made for Eastern Europe.

1930 Jägerkarte Nr.465

Jägerkarte Nr.465

Dondorf Jägerkarte Nr. 465 playing cards dedicated to the theme of hunting, c.1930.

2020 The Pack of Positivity

The Pack of Positivity

Katie Abey’s rainbow-coloured designs using crazy animals to convey motivating phrases.

2019 Tarot of the Unknown

Tarot of the Unknown

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

1980 Commemorative Olympic Playing Cards

Commemorative Olympic Playing Cards

Commemorative Olympic Playing Cards produced by Waddingtons exclusively for Stanley Gibbons Antiquar...

1986 Clamcleats playing cards

Clamcleats playing cards

Clamcleats playing cards for sailors designed by Celia Allison, New Zealand, 1986.

2000 Carte da Gioco Mongolfiere

Carte da Gioco Mongolfiere

Various hot-air balloons on a pack from a small Florentine publisher.

2007 Marcel Ruijters Tarots

Marcel Ruijters Tarots

Two very remarkable tarots by the award winning Dutch cartoonist Marcel Ruijters.

2009 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Characters and scenes from the Disney film of the same name, on a pack made for Eastern Europe.

1993 Centennial Olympic Games playing cards

Centennial Olympic Games playing cards

Centennial Olympic Games playing cards celebrating the centenary of the modern Olympic Games, 1896-1...

2009 Disney Princess

Disney Princess

Featuring Disney Princesses and Enchanting Tales in two sizes of pack made for Eastern Europe.

2009 Mickey Mouse Rummy

Mickey Mouse Rummy

Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other Disney characters on a pack made for Eastern Europe.

1975 Mercante in Fiera di Jacovitti

Mercante in Fiera di Jacovitti

Traditional Italian card game with comic designs by Benito Jacovitti.

2006 Ladbroke Sporting Casino

Ladbroke Sporting Casino

Ladbroke Sporting Casino caricature cartoon playing cards, U.K, c.2006.

1978 Royal Hawaiian playing cards

Royal Hawaiian playing cards

Royal Hawaiian playing cards published by the Royal Hawaiian Playing Card Company, Honolulu.

2012 Bicycle Negro League Baseball Museum

Bicycle Negro League Baseball Museum

Bicycle Negro League Baseball Museum souvenir playing cards, USA, 2012.

1999 Shamrock Irish Heritage playing cards

Shamrock Irish Heritage playing cards

A celebration of some of Ireland’s most famous patriots, politicians and poets.

1960 Lenormand Wahrsage-Karten No. 55

Lenormand Wahrsage-Karten No. 55

Conventional Lenormand designs on a pack from Piatnik but with unconventional numbering.

1978 Suzuki playing cards

Suzuki playing cards

Suzuki playing cards produced by Nintendo, Japan, 1978.

Hoyle v Foster: whose name should we remember?

Hoyle v Foster: whose name should we remember?

Hoyle’s name is associated with the rules by which many games are played, particularly card games B...

1989 Jeu Tour de France 89 (Domex)

Jeu Tour de France 89 (Domex)

Cyclists from the Domex-Weinmann team who took part in the 1989 Tour de France.

1742 Hoyle and his Legacy

Hoyle and his Legacy

Edmond Hoyle (1672-1769) was an English writer who made his name by writing on whist and a selection...

1900 Bridge Markers and bridge scoring methods

Bridge Markers and bridge scoring methods

Bridge Markers and bridge scoring methods 1900-1930

Pinochle

Pinochle

I have always been intrigued by the game Pinochle.

2003 Celebrate Mickey

Celebrate Mickey

‘Celebrate Mickey’ commemorative playing cards: 75 years of fun, USA, 2003.

1885 Nueva Baraja Taurina

Nueva Baraja Taurina

'Nueva Baraja Taurina' designed by Pedro Maldonado, Madrid, c.1885.

2005 Budapest souvenir

Budapest souvenir

Colour views of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, on all the courts and Aces.

1996 Salmon Flies

Salmon Flies

Icelandic pack featuring a different salmon fly on every card.

1973 Promo-Québec

Promo-Québec

Fun designs by Normand Hudon promoting the Canadian province of Quebec.

1995 Les 7 Familles Pyrénées

Les 7 Familles Pyrénées

Mountains, flowers, animals, tourist sites of the Pyrenees, all drawn by the artist Pertuzé.

1996 Jeu des 7 Familles Spider-Man

Jeu des 7 Familles Spider-Man

Colourful card game featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man and some of his fearsome advers...

1961 Neiman Marcus playing cards

Neiman Marcus playing cards

Cowboys and American Indians on a pack for Neiman Marcus, the Dallas department store.

Museo del Prado

Museo del Prado

Museo del Prado: Pintores y familias reales / Painters and royal families playing cards.

2004 The Teddy deck

The Teddy deck

The Teddy deck designed by UK artist Peter Wood, 2004.

2000 CCCP playing cards

CCCP playing cards

Soviet and other Communist celebrities depicted on every card, designed by Vladislav Pankevitch.

1972 Alabama Crimson Tide 1972

Alabama Crimson Tide 1972

Photos of American football players representing the University of Alabama in 1972.

Scarfes Bar playing cards

Scarfes Bar playing cards

‘Scarfes Bar’ satirical playing cards with cartoons by Gerald Scarfe, United Kingdom.

2005 1906 Earthquake

1906 Earthquake

Facts, figures, stories and scandals about the 1906 Earthquake published by the Golden Gate National...

2016 Dungeons & Dragons “Curse of Strahd” Tarokka Deck

Dungeons & Dragons “Curse of Strahd” Tarokka Deck

Enhance your Dungeons & Dragons game with the Tarokka Deck, a tarot-inspired set of cards that bring...