Casino No.240
Piatnik-Ritter No.240 - Obchodní Tiskárny Casino No.240.
Piatnik-Ritter No.240
Above: Piatnik-Ritter No.240 playing cards, pre-1946, when Ritter were Nationalised and became a part of OTK (along with the other printing industries in Czechoslovakia). The ace of spades states: “Made in Czechoslovakia”. The logo on the ace of hearts states: “Ferd Piatnik & Sons Ritter & Comp Praha”.
The court cards from Ritter’s packs were imported into the UK after WWII by Bancroft & Partners Ltd with the brand name “Casino”. The joker was also carried over. (These should not be confused with a German firm who also used the name Casino.)
Obchodní Tiskárny Casino No.240
Above: OTK Casino No.240, c.1950s. The ace of hearts has the word “casino” and the ace of spades merely states: “foreign”. OTK continued to use Ritter's veiled joker, but later introduced a new version (shown below). See the Control Slip►
Obchodní Tiskárny Casino No.300
Above: OTK Casino No.300, imported into UK by Bancroft & Partners Ltd, c.1960s, with a new joker. See the Box► Another similar brand was named Casino No.250. Images courtesy Matt Probert.
Above: “Casino” brand for the 60th anniversary of Česká Zbrojovka motorcycle company which was established in 1919. The company logo appears on the back and two custom jokers with the legend “Let 60 1919-1979”.
The ace of spades has been re-drawn several times but basically remains the same►
REFERENCES
Lodge, Ken: Obchodni Tiskarny Karty Casino brands, E.P.C.S. Newsletter, June 2015. Donwload here►
By Matt Probert
United Kingdom • Member since March 02, 2012
I have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.
Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.
Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.
I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.
Activity for Casino No.240
Sign in to comment or save this article.
Related Articles
Tarock Cards by Antonín Kratochvíl
Excerpt from the catalog of a prominent Prague workshop.
Patience-Whist No. 140 by Piatnik
A Small Connection Between Austria, Denmark, and Czechoslovakia.
Dielo playing cards
Heroic Socialist-style version of the Four Seasons pattern from Bratislava.
Czech Bohemian style playing cards
Czech Bohemian style playing cards with a charming aesthetic, reflecting the cultural and social lif...
Austria Ski Team playing cards
Photos of members of the Austrian skiing team replace the normal courts on two different packs.
ČZ playing cards
Advertising pack for the Czechoslovak motorcycle factory Česká Zbrojovka.
Budweiser Budvar beer
Colourful designs promoting Budweiser Budvar beer from Czechoslovakia.
ZPA Trutnov
Publicity pack for a Czech company making mains receivers and electrical control units.
Jan Becher playing cards
Publicity pack for Jan Becher, a Czech liqueur company, with modified international courts.
Interhotel playing cards
Interhotel playing cards printed by Obchodni Tiskárny (OTK), Prague, and published by the Interhotel...
150 Years of Czechoslovakian Railways
Czech trains and railwayana from 1839 to 1989, made by Obchodní Tiskárny, Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Salzburger Pattern
Salzburger pattern by Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne, Vienna
Czech Patience Cards
Patience size playing cards published by Obchodni Tiskarny of Prague, under the brand “Casino”, with...
Čierny Peter
Four themed ‘Čierny Peter’ card games by Obchodní Tiskărny.
Castles Quartet
“Castles” Quartet Illustrated by Vladimir Kovářík.
Bohemian Pattern
The Bohemian Pattern, sometimes called the Prager Pattern, has roots in the 16th century.
Czech Hussite Deck
Czech “Hussite” Pack engraved by Karel Hoffmann and first printed by Jan Ritter in 1895.
Ritter & Cie, 1933
A colourful re-working of the standard Anglo-American pattern in Art Deco style.
Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne
Ferdinand Piatnik was born in Ofen on October 14, 1819.
OTK Bridge-Rummy
OTK Bridge-Rummy by Obchodní Tiskărny, c.1990.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
Ian Taylor
08 June 2023, 07:08Obchodní Tiskárny Casino No.300 - I have this deck as a trick deck, which presumably came in at the same time. No AH present, but both jokers and AS and MANY 6Ds!
Alexander Gornak
10 June 2026, 11:11SavedSaved this article to Gornak40's Collection