Intersigma
A Czech advertising deck for a company dealing with pump technology.
This attractive advertising deck from Czech Republic mimics Renaissance or Baroque poses, giving the cards an artistic and elevated feel. The Kings of Spades and Hearts both hold tridents, referencing Neptune's power over the element of water. Two of the Jacks hold scrolls with the name of the company being advertised and who commissioned the deck. Each Ace contains a small face. The illustrations use bold colours, especially red, blue, yellow and sea-green. The reverse of the cards is a design featuring Neptune and a mermaid with the legend ‘Intersigma’.


Above: Intersigna advertising playing cards made by Obchodní tiskárny a.s., Kolín, 1991. 52 cards + 2 jokers, 57x87 mm.
Notes from Marek Brejcha
This is an advertising deck for a company dealing with pump technology. According to the name INTERSIGMA, I estimate that it was a subsidiary of SIGMA, which dealt with related international trade. The company's trademark is part of the cards and has evidently also been incorporated into the attributes of kings. The SIGMA company is still in business today and produces pumps. See : www.sigmagroup.cz/historie/►

By Jon Randall
Member since May 28, 2020
From 6 or 7 years of age I enjoyed playing cards with my family, and still enjoy a variety of games today with various groups and individuals. I contribute my competitive nature to enjoying games … it’s not that I like to win, I dislike losing! I was barely 10 years old when my great Uncle left me a small collection of playing cards and that was the starting point of my collecting. The competitive streak in me helped develop me into a competitive swimmer that sent me to various places around the world, including a 6 year stint in the US, where for much of that time I was at university. I’ve always enjoyed car boots flea markets, yard sales, charity shops etc., and my eye would never miss a pack of playing cards. Even after my swimming career finished I coached at a high level for many years and continued enjoying the discovery of some great finds around the world. For decades my collection continued to grow, despite selling a portion of it via eBay over the years. It wasn’t until post 2010 that I realised, mostly due to correspondence with Australian friends, that there were so many single playing cards collectors. This intrigued me. I had so many packs of cards at home that I made the bold decision to share a good number with single collectors, and subsequently listed around 7000 for sale on eBay. That did make a dent in my collection, but there’s still around 30,000 packs taking up quite a bit of space at home. Crazy? Yes, but I’ve seen bigger hoards a few times! There’s so many I surprise myself finding packs I forgot I had when I look in a box I’d not seen in a while.
My eBay ID’s if you’d like to look are “worldwide_playing_cards” & “playing_cards_world”►
Related Articles

Copechat Paramount Sorting System
Preserving the past: a specimen deck showcasing edge-notched cards and their ingenious sorting syste...

Heartsette by Herbert Fitch & Co, 1893
A glimpse into a busy print and design office in late Victorian London.

Intersigma
A Czech advertising deck for a company dealing with pump technology.

The European Interchanges Quartets
A card game based around motorway intersections from European countries.

Playing card designs by Franz Exler
Reconstruction of playing cards from the original 1903 designs.

IG Chemie Papier Keramik
Promotional pack designed by Karl-Heinz Schroers for a German trade union with comical bears on the ...

More Menthol Filter Cigarettes
Elongated cards with designs by Wong Yui Man advertising More cigarettes.

Jockey Club de Buenos Aires
Spanish-suited pack by Chas Goodall & Son Ltd for the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires.

Czech Bohemian style playing cards
Czech Bohemian style playing cards with a charming aesthetic, reflecting the cultural and social lif...

Leadmill playing cards
Promotional pack for an arts centre in Sheffield with designs by Martin F. Bedford.

Simpson (Piccadilly) playing cards
Innovative advertising pack for Simpsons of Piccadilly designed by André François.

Covered bridges playing cards
Historical covered bridges with photography by Bill Miller, 2006.

Hamlet Cigars
Advertising deck for “Hamlet mild cigars”, a Benson & Hedges product.

Smith-Corona Marchant
Simplified yet colourful court card designs by Avoine for Smith-Corona Marchant.

Austria Ski Team playing cards
Photos of members of the Austrian skiing team replace the normal courts on two different packs.

Unimog UX 100
Cartoons promoting the Unimog UX 100, a small truck produced by Mercedes-Benz.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days