Four Continents Patience
Dondorf's 'Four Continents' Patience, c.1910.
Dondorf: Four Continents Patience
Dondorf's Patience-Karte Vier-Erdteile (Four Continents Patience) was first published in c.1870 with square-cut corners, no borders and no indices. This edition has rounded corners, border lines and small indices, and was published in c.1910. As in the full-sized pack of the same name, each suit sign is assigned to a continent: Clubs represent Africa, Hearts Europe, Spades Asia and Diamonds represent America. The four Aces each have two landscape scenes from their corresponding part of the world. The Ace of Clubs shows coconut palms and Lake Moeris (Egypt); on Hearts we see an Italian forest and a German medieval castle; Spades the Great Wall of China and Indian palms; on Diamonds the Niagara Falls and South American Pampas. See also: Four Continents • Kinder-Karte Patience No.25.

Above: Aces and court cards from Dondorf's 'Four Continents' Patience, chromolithography, with rounded corners and borders, after 1906. The court cards depict stereotyped persons from each of the Four Continents. In this edition the captions on the four Aces are in French but versions with German captions were also produced. 52 cards; 64mm x 43mm. Images courtesy Barney Townshend.
German Inscriptions
Italian tax stamp dated 1923.


Above: courtesy Rex Pitts.

By Barney Townshend
Member since October 06, 2015
Retired Airline Pilot, interested in: Transformation Playing Cards, Karl Gerich and Elaine Lewis. Secretary of the EPCS. Treasurer of the IPCS.
Related Articles

OH Cards
A Series of Metaphoric Cards to unlock your story, conceived and designed by Ely Raman

Patience by Joseph Glanz
A refined and distinctly European Patience pack by Joseph Glanz from Austria.

VEB Kombinat Kali
Advertising pack depicting old means of salt production, with designs by Hannelore Heise.

Burghausen
Historical figures and buildings to promote the town of Burghausen, with designs by Jonny Petri.

Wiener Pattern – Nuremberg Version
A classic deck in a new illustrative style, with notable variations in line work, detail, and colour...

CARD-AB Miltenberg
Illustrations by Rita Stern depicting notable landmarks and scenes from the town of Miltenberg in Ge...

New Altenburg Skat cards – German DDR Pattern
Authentic Altenburger Skat cards with German suits (Acorns, Hearts, Leaves, Bells).

German Travel Cards
A travel-themed educational deck helping American tourists visiting Germany.

Love Tests
Vintage novelty “Love Test” cards of a slightly saucy nature but all in good fun!

Briefmarken-Quartett
Quartet game featuring postage stamps from the Zones of Occupation in post-WWII Germany.

IG Chemie Papier Keramik
Promotional pack designed by Karl-Heinz Schroers for a German trade union with comical bears on the ...

Le Journal de Mickey
Perforated sheet of cards with Disney characters issued with the magazine Le Journal de Mickey.

La Réussite (Sébastien Féraut)
Sébastien Féraut’s designs inspired by the animal kingdom for a set promoting patience games.

Engel-Tarot
Set of major arcana designed by Alois Hanslian depicting angels throughout.

Virgil Solis
Remarkable pack of 52 animal-suited playing-cards designed and etched by Virgil Solis.

Politiker-Skat by Bubec
Caricatures of world leaders, including many German politicians, by the artist Bubec.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days