Saks-Werbespiel
Promotional playing cards printed by Dondorf for Saks & Company, New York, late 1920s.
Saks-Werbespiel, c.1930
Promotional playing cards printed by B. Dondorf for Saks & Company, New York, late 1920s (aka “Saks Fifth Avenue”). The cards are designed in Art Deco style and represent an original artistic exercise in commercial playing card design. The suit symbols are coloured in red, black, green and orange, in the manner of “No Revoke” packs, presumably to make them easier to distinguish. In addition, each of these four colours predominates in the colour scheme for the court cards in their respective suit.
Above: promotional playing cards printed by Dondorf for Saks & Company, New York, late 1920s. The manufacturer's name is not printed anywhere on the cards. The reverse shows a design with cats. Each card measures: 92mm x 60mm. Images courtesy Barney Townshend.
Different coloured suit symbols had been patented in USA on Nov 23, 1926, by Antoine Lefebure of San Francisco, with the assertion that “even experienced players confuse clubs and spades; hearts and diamonds” here►
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
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...
Angel 52 Secrets
Vintage “52 Secret” art deco-inspired playing cards from Japan.
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.
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 ...
Whist by Ditha Moser
Ditha Moser created this minimalist Whist deck in 1905, in the style of the Vienna Secession art mov...
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.
Le Poker Politique
French politicians and various world leaders caricatured by the German artist Bubec.
Unimog UX 100
Cartoons promoting the Unimog UX 100, a small truck produced by Mercedes-Benz.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days
