Playing Card Brands from Around the World

Above: Great Mogul branded playing cards produced by USPCC for the Thai market, c1965. Learn more about the Mogul brand →

Above: Aladdin brand playing cards box with a Thai excise tax label, showing the export of American card brands to Southeast Asia, including Thailand.

Explore the different brands of playing cards from around the world. From well-known international brands such as Great Moguls to obscure regional brands.

These brands have a rich history dating back to the late 19th century, when playing card makers in England introduced different grades or qualities of cards, with Moguls representing the highest quality, followed by Harrys, Highlanders, and Merry Andrews. Similarly, American card makers began introducing brands with unique features or qualities, such as Aladdin, Bicycle, Congress and Tigers; Aladdin cards were even exported to Southeast Asia, including Thailand, and Bicycle became particularly successful and widely used around the world.

Some brand names aim to lend distinction, while others evoke elegance or reflect technical innovation, and some have no rationale behind their name at all, yet are still among the most successful, such as Bee #92, first produced in 1895 and widely used in casinos around the world.