Dondorf Patience playing cards No.26
Patience playing cards with children in historical costumes
An attractive and quite well known patience pack of playing cards made by B. Dondorf G.m.b.H. from 1908 until about 1930. It seems to have been made specifically for children and all the court cards show happy looking children wearing historical costumes. Each pack consist of 52 cards and a joker, although the earliest version without indices had no joker. They were often sold as a double set of patience cards, one with a blue back and the other with a red back. The size of the cards is 54 x 37 mm.
The pack shown below has English indices but is usually found with German indices.
Can you see the printing mistake? If not you can view it here.
Below: The joker, backs and box
Below: The three different versions known.
I have one pack of these playing cards for exchange or sale. 52 + joker in excellent condition in damaged box. German indices.
Contact me here if interested.
References:
Braun band 4. BD 1908/1
Schultz/Stolzenburg Kat.no.10
Die Dondorf'schen Luxus-Spielkarten 1981 p.114-115
All cards shown are from the collection of Paul Symons ©.
By Paul Symons
Member since February 01, 2016
I'm British but I have now lived in the Netherlands for more than 50 years and am still enjoying every minute of it. I started collecting playing cards in the early 1980’s after speaking with my neighbour who was at that time a croupier in a casino. I started with just collecting jokers, but that soon led me to complete packs of cards and eventually to specialising in old and antique playing cards, particularly those of C.L. Wüst of Frankfurt, Germany. I am presently the Dutch representative of the I.P.C.S. and the auctioneer at the IPCS conventions.
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