French pattern (Conver)
French pattern produced in Marseille c.1850 by the widow of Nicolas Conver.
Nowadays, we associate the name of Nicolas Conver with the famous version of the Tarot de Marseille which he supposedly engraved in 1760. I say “supposedly” because the Nicolas Conver we are interested in here – possibly no relation of the Nicolas Conver connected with the Tarot dated 1760 – lived from 1784 to 1833 and is recorded as having been active as a cardmaker and merchant in Marseille between 1809 and 1833. When he died, his widow (veuve, shortened to Vve) took over the business and remarried the following year. The business produced French pattern packs such as this one. On the Jack of Diamonds one can read Vve de Nas Conver & Cie. The factory passed to the brothers Levenq in 1857, at which point the name Conver was dropped, so this pack must predate that event.
The engraved, double-ended courts have no obvious horizontal or diagonal division; in fact, the designs are seamless. The attractive colouring has been carried out by stencil throughout.
Above: French pattern produced by the widow of Nicolas Conver, Marseille,c.1850. 52 cards. Size: 56 x 85 mm.
By Roddy Somerville
France • Member since May 31, 2022
Roddy started collecting stamps on his 8th birthday. In 1977 he joined the newly formed playing-card department at Stanley Gibbons in London before setting up his own business in Edinburgh four years later. His collecting interests include playing cards, postcards, stamps (especially playing cards on stamps) and sugar wrappers. He is a Past President of the Scottish Philatelic Society, a former Chairman of the IPCS, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Curator of the WCMPC’s collection of playing cards. He lives near Toulouse in France.
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