Current Highlights
Popular articles from the past 28 days.
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Rouen Pattern - Portrait Rouennais
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by Simon Wintle
An attractive XV century French-suited design from Rouen became the standard English & Anglo-American pattern.
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Archaic Spanish proof sheets
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by Simon Wintle
2 x uncoloured proof sheets of archaic Spanish-suited playing cards produced for “New Spain”, possibly clandestinely.
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English Pattern by B.P. Grimaud
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by Simon Wintle
Standard English pattern published by B.P. Grimaud with engraving by F. Simon, c.1880.
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Johann Nejedly Tarok Cards
Johann Nejedly, a 19th-century Viennese card maker, produced Tarock cards featuring modern scenes that reflect the artistic and cultural trends of the time.
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Heathen Divinities
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by Simon Wintle
Handmade playing cards from the British Museum depicting classical Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.
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Dungeons and Dragons Tarot
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by Adam Wintle
This 78-card officially licensed Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) tarot deck offers a visually appealing variation from traditional tarot designs.
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García y Boyer
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by Simon Wintle
Spanish-suited pack in the ‘Raimundo García’ pattern produced by García y Boyer, Igualada, c.1880.
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Cartomancy, Oracle and Divination Cards
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by Simon Wintle
Playing cards are used for fortune-telling, predicting the future or even as a psychological adjunct to folk medicine and therapy. Turning another card illumines the moment and new clarity emerges.
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Perspectives on the History of Tarot
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by Simon Wintle
Tarot, originally a 15th century card game from Italy, has evolved into a form of personal mysticism and spiritual exploration, offering new visions of expanding awareness.
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Canasta
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by Simon Wintle
Canasta is a card game of the Rummy family which originated in Uruguay probably about 1947
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Suicide King
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by Simon Wintle
The King of Hearts, holding a sword behind his head, is sometimes nicknamed the “Suicide King”. He can be seen to derive from a late medieval design showing a King wielding a battle axe.
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Cartes Lenormand
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by Simon Wintle
“Cartes Lenormand” published by H. P. Gibson & Sons Ltd, London, printed in Germany by B. Dondorf, 1920s.
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Chinese Playing Cards 中国纸牌
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by Simon Wintle
The Chinese took their cards with them wherever they travelled and traded in the East, and we find Chinese cards in use not only in the mainland but also in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, North Borneo and Vietnam.
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The Joker Card
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by Simon Wintle
The 'Joker' is believed to have been invented by American Euchre players who, when modifying the rules sometime during the 1860s, decided that an extra trump card was required.
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Mamluk Playing Cards
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by Simon Wintle
Nã'ib, the game of lieutenants... these cards are amongst the earliest Arabic playing cards extant.
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The History of Playing Cards
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by Simon Wintle
Playing Cards have been around in Europe since the 1370s. Some early packs were hand painted works of art which were expensive and affordable only by the wealthy. But as demand increased cheaper methods of production were discovered so that playing cards became available for everyone...
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History of Court Cards
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by Simon Wintle
The court cards in English packs of playing cards derive from models produced by Pierre Marechal in Rouen around 1565. A pack of such cards is preserved in the museum at Rouen.
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Early History of Playing Cards & Timeline
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by Simon Wintle
Out of an apparent void, a constellation of references in early literature emerge pointing to the sudden arrival of playing cards, principally in Belgium, Germany, Spain and Italy around 1370-1380. Discover the early history of playing cards in our timeline from 50AD to the 15th century.