Vieux gréements
Illustrations by Yannick Pennanguer of old sailing ships for Brest 2004, a maritime festival.
Old sailing ships and barques hold an eternal fascination for many people, evoking, as they do, life in days gone by. An international gathering of such vessels takes place every four years in Brest, the event in 2004 being the fourth edition of the Brest Maritime Festival. Yannick Pennanguer’s illustrations represent large three-masted ships, coastal fishing boats and other boats with sails. The most famous among them is probably the ‘Belem’ (Ace of Hearts), the French sail training ship which started life as a cargo ship in 1896. A monochrome version of ‘La Recouvrance’ (Ace of Clubs) has been used in the background on all the pip cards. On the back of the cards and on the box is a reproduction of a painting from 1858 depicting the arrival by boat of Queen Victoria at the harbour of Cherbourg. See the box►
Above: ‘Vieux gréements’ sailing ships playing cards published by Editions Face&Dos, Paris, France, 2004. Maker unknown. 52 cards + 2 Jokers + 1 extra card (double-sided with text in French) in tuck box. Size: 63 x 88 mm.
NOTE: ‘gréement’ = rigging; ‘vieux gréements’ = old sailing ships.
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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