Gorleben soll leben!
Skat deck produced by opponents of atomic energy and the dumping of radioactive waste.
The small town of Gorleben in Lower Saxony became synonymous with the anti-nuclear movement in the 1970s because of plans to build a national deep geological repository for radioactive waste there, along with interim storage units. This pack formed part of the campaign to stop these projects. The Berliner pattern courts (and the Aces) carry slogans rejecting nuclear power and stating that “Gorleben should live!” Shades of grey and pale red are the only colours used to make the message more effective. The face of the Jack of Clubs is scarily skeletal. This is a skat pack with indices in German. Designer: Arno Waldschmidt. See the box►


Above: “Gorleben soll leben!” (Gorleben shall live!) skat deck printed by A.S.S., Leinfelden, for Merlin Verlag, Hamburg, Germany, 1979. 32 cards + 1 extra card in tuck box. Size: 59 x 91 mm.

By Roddy Somerville
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.
Trending Articles
Popular articles from the past 28 days
Related Articles

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Joker
A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.

Das Nassauische Kartenspiel
Pack conceived by Berthold Conradi, commemorating the 700th anniversary of the granting of town righ...

Jägerkarte Nr.465
Dondorf Jägerkarte Nr. 465 playing cards dedicated to the theme of hunting, c.1930.

Englische Karten nr.190
Dondorf Nr.190“Englische Karten”, 1867-1895.

3-D Dino Cards
Lenticular images of different, unnamed dinosaurs on all-plastic cards.

The Famous Dinosaurs Playing Cards
54 different dinosaurs, both large and small, illustrated by Cecilia Fitzsimons.

Möbel-Spiel
Publicity pack for the East German furniture industry, with designs by Werner-Hans Schlegel.

Hand-painted and Silk-inlaid playing cards
Complete pack of 36 hand-painted and silk-inlaid playing cards with French suits made in Germany.

Postillion Schafkopf
Postillion Schafkopf dedicated to the history of the German postal service.

Moorish Deck
Review of “Trzes’ Moorish Deck” facsimile published by Ulrich Kaltenborn, Berlin, 2023.

Schweden Spielkarten
54 different souvenir views of famous people and places in Sweden.

A Gardener’s Labyrinth
Photographs of flowers, herbs and vegetables by leading photographer Tessa Traeger.

Burgdorf Abschreckhärtetechnik
Promotional pack for a German steel hardening business, with designs by Costante Costantini.

Kushimoto Marine Park
Kushimoto Marine Park souvenir playing cards published by Nintendo, Japan.

Early German playing cards
Some early examples of popular German playing cards from the XV and XVI centuries.

Handmade Ganjifa Birds Playing Cards
This set of Ganjifa cards is a beautiful example of traditional cards from India.

South American Costumes
Costumes of people of Brazil, Peru and Mexico, with views of Rio de Janeiro on the aces.

Vues et Caractères Suisses No.228
A Swiss souvenir pack by Dondorf

Spielkarten für Sammler
Cards on cards in celebration of playing-card collector Franz Braun’s 75th birthday.

Cards on Cards (E.H. Locker)
Artist Edward Locker’s view of London life in 1799, using every card in the pack as part of the pict...

New Environment deck
New environment deck / Nouveau jeu de cartes sur l’environnement, Canada.

La Baie James
Playing cards documenting the James Bay hydro-electricity project on the La Grande River in north-we...

WW2 German Propaganda Playing Cards
showing satirical portraits of Allied leaders and politicians

Wolfgang Dorn Werbe
Designs by Jürgen Pankarz for the 20th anniversary of the Wolfgang Dorn advertising agency, Cologne....

Bilder zum Tarot
Detailed pen and ink drawings of the major arcana by the German artist Helmut Wonschick.

Eisbergfreistadt Panoramische Spielkarte 1923
‘Iceberg Free State 1923’ fantasy playing cards with a cautionary moral lesson, Germany, 2006.

Das Tübinger Skatspiel
Pack devised by Volker Scheub depicting characters associated with the city of Tübingen.

Unique Australian Animals
‘Unique Australian Animals’ educational playing cards designed by Lawton Ho, Australia, 2004.

Greenpeace anti-nuclear playing cards
Greenpeace anti-nuclear pack with facts and figures, United Kingdom, 2003.

Crop Circles collectable playing cards
Crop Circles collectable playing cards with photography by Lucy Pringle, United Kingdom, 2007.

Birds playing cards
Birds playing cards illustrated by Ryuto Miyake, 2019.

Axminster 100 playing cards
Special non-standard pack produced for Axminster Carpets Ltd.

Margaret Parrott playing cards
Margaret Parrott playing cards decorated with whimsical parrots, USA, c. 1997.

Dallas playing cards
Seven of the top stars from the famous TV series Dallas.

Nokia II
Advertising pack for the Finnish firm Nokia showing different mobile phones.

Nordbräu Ingolstadt
Publicity pack for the German brewery Nordbräu with Bavarian pattern courts (adapted).

Wicküler Skat
Publicity pack for the German brewery Wicküler with courts merrily drinking beer.

Deutsche Dampflokomotiven
German steam locomotives from the period 1892 to 1950.

Mercedes-Benz Skat
Classy-looking designs by Monika Dostler for a manufacturer of posh cars.

Bahlsen Skat
Publicity pack for a German food company, featuring some of their products.

Calliope: a Renaissance band
Facsimile of cards attributed to Hans Schäufelein (c. 1480-1540) produced by ‘Calliope’, a New York ...