Swastika designs
Swastika design playing cards by De La Rue, c.1925.
A swastika often appeared on greeting cards, birthday cards and even playing cards in the years before it became associated with the German Nazi party during the 1930s and acquired sinister connotations. Until then it was seen as symbolising good luck or anything auspicious. It has been found on artefacts since before Neolithic times.
Above: Swastika design playing cards manufactured by De La Rue & Co., mid-to-late 1920s, featuring the earlier version of the De La Rue Joker as a double-ended jester with a bauble. The swastika is/was a good luck symbol and it appears facing either direction. Packs with swastikas are also known to have been made for Kendal Milne, an up-market department store in Manchester. Several fortune-telling packs have a swastika on them somewhere - including the Subject card of the Goodall Rameses pack. Thanks to Ken Lodge for comments. Images courtesy David Manners and Robert Cooper.
Right: boxed set of playing cards with swastika designs on the reverse manufactured by Chas Goodall & Sons around the same period. Image courtesy Sandra Ekelund.
Below: the inside of the lid of a dual-deck of cards produced by Thomas De La Rue (with extra Goodall ace of spades) with a swastika design, c.1934. The box is unbranded, gilt edged cards. Images courtesy Matt Probert.
Above: from the collection of Tony Hall.
Above: Diana Vernon on a white horse, 1930s. Courtesy David Watson.
Above: Goodall's Linette playing cards with horseshoes and a small swastika on back, 1930s. Courtesy William Hammick.
NOTE: in 1921 Charles Goodall & Co. were absorbed by De La Rue. The Goodall plant in Camden Town became a subsidiary of De la Rue and their well-known brand names were maintained by De la Rue.
By Simon Wintle
Spain • Member since February 01, 1996
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
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