Playing Card-related Ephemera
Mystery Objects
I need help in identifying the purpose of this particular piece of card-playing kit.
Patience Cards and their Boxes
Patience Cards and their Boxes by Tony Hall.
Phone and smart cards
Phonecards with playing card designs.
Piquet: the game and its artifacts
Piquet may be the oldest card game which is still played today with origins going back to early 16th Century.
Playing Cards in other cards
Secondary applications of playing cards.
Poker Patience
Poker Patience, according to an early 20th century author, was "introduced so recently as the autumn of 1908".
Pope Joan Trays
Some traditional Pope Joan boards comprise a circular tray, others are square, divided into sections labelled Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Intrigue and Matrimony. In the game, the Nine of Diamonds is “Pope Joan”.
Possible early astrological playing cards
Two early woodcuts that I believe to be playing cards.
Roldan Tobacco Cards, Peru
Tobacco cards with miniature playing cards inset into top corners, printed by Litografía y Tipografía Fabbri Hermanos, for Roldan y Cia Tobacco, Lima, c.1895.
Secondary Uses of Playing Cards
The unprinted backs of playing cards have led people to use them for secondary purposes such as memorandum slips, bibliographic index cards, for declarations of love, rendezvous notes, emergency money, visiting cards and so on.
Sweetnotes playing cards
Heart-shaped cards with sweet notes on all the backs.
Sylvanian Families mini playing cards
Miniature cards in sheet form with Sylvanian Families characters on the courts and Jokers.
The Evolution of Whist and Bridge Boxed Sets, 1870s – 1930s
Boxed sets of cards, markers, scorers and rule booklets have been around for many decades. Some of the "shop perfect" items in my collection are well over 100 years old.
The Jovial Cards
Publicity items for a group of entertainers, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK, 1911.
The making of a Bridge or Bézique marker
This post-mortem was carried out on a Bezique marker which was already falling apart.
The Odd Trick
The Odd Trick - a bit of Edwardian naughtiness.
Whist marker boxes
The Camden Whist marker was being advertised by Goodall and son in 1872 as a new product.
Will’s Cigarettes and Auction Bridge
In 1926 Will’s issued a set of 25 cigarette cards on Auction Bridge, presenting a range of hands illustrating various circumstances in play.
Wine Labels & Chocolate Biscuits
‘Pinta en Copas’ playing card-themed wine labels sold at Día Supermarkets.
Wrappers
Playing cards were traditionally sold inside paper wrappers, which were usually thrown away.