Playing Cards for Consumer Advertising, Marketing & Promotion

Closely following the development of visual advertising in general, such as on labels, packaging, posters and TV commercials, advertising playing cards seek to find ways to associate products with our inner desires and longings, with our identity and who we want to be. Some packs are widely distributed as part of larger promotions, others are more exclusive. In some cases single cards are collected from inside the advertised product, thereby stimulating further sales to complete a full set.

100 Pipers
100 Pipers Scotch Whisky promotional deck, Waddingtons P.C.Co., c.1973. Includes a Tarot pack offer.

4C Gemstone playing cards for De Beers
4C Gemstone playing cards for De Beers, 1988.

66: Adverts and related material 1862-1900
Some further material relating to cards from nineteenth and twentieth century periodicals.

67: Adverts and related material after 1900
The final page of material relating to playing cards from British periodicals.

Advertising & publicity playing cards by Joker S.A.
Advertising and publicity playing cards manufactured by Joker S.A.

Advertising deck for Carta Mundi
Advertising deck for Carta Mundi produced by Carta Mundi, 2001

Advertising Playing-Cards by La Cubana, S.A, Mexico c.1960
Advertising Playing-Cards by La Cubana, S.A. (Fabrica de Naipes El Aguila), Mexico, c.1960.

Adverto
Adverto card game published by Adverto Publishing Company of Stratford, London, c.1910.

AGMüller English Pattern
AGMüller standard English pattern for the Royal Jordanian Airline, 1980s

Air India
‘Air India’ playing cards, made in India.

Akadama Honey Wine by Nintendo
Suntory Akadama Honey Wine playing cards manufactured by Nintendo, Japan, c.1970.

Albert Heijn’s Boffie Kwartetspel
The “Boffie” Kwartetspel was designed by Huibert Vet and published by Albert Heijn in 1936

Alcatel
Alcatel playing cards published by Éditions Dusserre, c.1970s

Alfred Marks
Alfred Marks Recruitment Consultants publicity playing cards published by Astra Games

Alitalia
Alitalia advertising deck produced by Premier Portfolio International Ltd.

Alphabetti Spaghetti
Alphabetti Spaghetti Happy Families game for Crosse & Blackwell c.1978.

America Online Beach
America Online Beach playing cards, Spanish suit system, non-standard designs, 2006

Angus
Naipes "ANGUS" designed by Gustavo A. Pueyrredón, depicting Aberdeen Angus livestock on the courts and jokers dressed as Gauchos.

Anheuser-Busch
The Kings show American admirals and the Jacks have different officers at each end. The Queens are “Our Colonies”.

Anheuser-Busch Army & Navy
This deck is commonly known as the “Anheuser-Busch Spanish-American War deck”, issued at the end of the war.