Fortune Telling Deck, c.1818

Published April 28, 2011 Updated April 17, 2024

Fortune Telling Deck by Industrie Comptoir, Leipzig c.1818.

1818 GermanyCartomancyOracleIndustrie Comptoir
Detail from Fortune Telling Deck by Industrie Comptoir, Leipzig c.1818

German-suited Fortune Telling deck by Industrie Comptoir, Leipzig c.1818, 36 cards. Inscriptions in German and Polish.

These are an interesting alternative to the more common ‘Madame Lenormand’ or ‘Book of Fate’ cartomancy cards, with a different repertoire of emblemmatic images. They differ from the typical French ones, of course, in that there are no miniature playing cards inside the design, but instead the German suit symbols.

Fortune Telling Deck by Industrie Comptoir, Leipzig c.1818

Above: Fortune Telling deck by Industrie Comptoir, Leipzig c.1818. Saxonian tax stamp (1819 - 1834) on the Seven of Bells. Printed by lithography 36 cards. Similar decks were made by Backofen in Nürnberg and Knaut in Weimar. See also: Cartomany deck by Johann Ernst Backofen

Further References

British Museum: number 1896,0501.28

O’Donoghue, Freeman M: Catalogue of the collection of playing cards bequeathed by Lady Charlotte Schreiber (German 19), Trustees of the British Museum, London, 1901 [digital version here]

avatar
14 Articles

By Klaus-Juergen Schultz

Germany • Member since February 03, 2024

From the collection of Klaus-Jürgen Schultz.

Related Articles

1825 Cartomancy deck by Johann Ernst Backofen

Cartomancy deck by Johann Ernst Backofen

German-suited Cartomancy deck published by Johann Ernst Backofen, Nürnberg.

1830 Llombart pattern playing cards from Germany

Llombart pattern playing cards from Germany

made in Leipzig in the early 19th. century

Cartomancy, Oracle and Divination Cards

Cartomancy, Oracle and Divination Cards

Playing cards are used for fortune-telling, predicting the future or even as a psychological adjunct...

2003 El Oráculo de la Bruja

El Oráculo de la Bruja

“El Oráculo de la Bruja” fortune-telling cards, 2003.

1800 Georgian Fortune Telling Cards

Georgian Fortune Telling Cards

Georgian Fortune Telling Cards, c.1800.

1860 Wüst Lenormand deck, c.1860

Wüst Lenormand deck, c.1860

Wüst Lenormand deck, c.1860

1825 Unknown Maker

Unknown Maker

Early German deck by unknown maker, c.1825

1800 Joseph Losch

Joseph Losch

French-suited pack with full-length courts by Joseph Losch, c.1800.

Playing Card Oracles - Alchemy Edition

Playing Card Oracles - Alchemy Edition

Playing Card Oracles - Alchemy Edition - by Charles J. Freeman and Ana Cortez

1911 Wahrsage-Karten

Wahrsage-Karten

In this version an explanatory verse is printed at the top of each card.

1890 Lenormand Cartomancy

Lenormand Cartomancy

Mlle Lenormand Cartomancy deck made by Vereinigte Stralsunder Spielkartenfabriken, Stralsund, c.1890...

German History by Johann Conrad Jegel

German History by Johann Conrad Jegel

Historical Deck with characters and emblematical figures published by Johann Conrad Jegel, Nürnberg,...

1815 Victory Deck

Victory Deck

Victory deck commemorating the Liberation war by Friedrich Gotthelf Baumgärtner, Leipzig, 1815.

1816 Bergmannskarte

Bergmannskarte

Bergmannskarte, manufactured by Industrie Comptoir, Leipzig, c.1816.

1834 Schiller deck

Schiller deck

Schiller deck made by Conrad Ludwig Wüst, Frankfurt/Main, ca. 1834.

1860 Narren-Karte, c.1860

Narren-Karte, c.1860

Narren-Karte by Christian Heinrich Reuter, Nürnberg, c.1860.

Johann Jobst Forster

Johann Jobst Forster

Deck made by Johann Jobst Forster, Nürnberg, first half of 18th century in the Paris pattern.

1800 Johann Matheus Backofen

Johann Matheus Backofen

French-suited deck manufactured by Johann Matheus Backofen, Nürnberg c.1800.

1900 Livre du Destin

Livre du Destin

Livre du Destin / The Book of Fate, c.1900, entire deck (32 cards)

1718 Geistliche Karten

Geistliche Karten

Geistliche Karten, Augsburg, 1718. Each card carries a text in Gothic typeface giving advice regardi...