Iduna Skat
Advertising pack for a Hamburg building society featuring pigs in disguise.
Presumably pigs feature prominently in this pack because of the traditional association of pigs with saving money (as in ‘piggy banks’). The non-standard court cards depict rather ugly pigs heavily disguised to look something like standard Berliner pattern courts. There is a slogan for the building society on the back which translates as something like “With home savings you always have an ace up your sleeve”.


Above: Iduna Skat playing cards made by A.S.S., Leinfelden, Germany, c1996. 32 cards + 1 rules card (for Skat) in plastic 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.
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