Camoin & Cie

A. Camoin & Cie, Marseille, was the continuation of the historic Conver playing-card business. Jean-Baptiste Camoin became a partner in the former Levenq de Conver factory in 1858 and took control of the business in the early 1860s; in 1871 it became Jean-Baptiste Camoin et Cie. His sons subsequently continued the factory under J.B. Camoin and A. Camoin et Cie. By the 1870s Camoin was Marseille's leading card manufacturer, producing more than a million packs annually, much of the output being exported. The firm produced French-, Spanish- and other suited cards, as well as Tarots and cards for overseas markets. It retained the original Nicolas Conver woodblocks and continued to print versions of the famous 1760 Tarot de Marseille. In 1885 B.P. Grimaud acquired a majority interest in the Marseille factory, although production continued under the Camoin name. The factory eventually closed in 1970.