Munich is Trumps

Published January 08, 2026 • Updated January 08, 2026

Famous men and women associated with Munich on a pack with dual suits.

Sometimes one gets a pleasant surprise when looking back at packs one bought years ago but had forgotten about. Such is the case here. Famous men and women associated with Munich including Ludwig II of Bavaria, Richard Strauss and Lola Montez can be found on the court cards but the interest does not end there. Unusually, these cards have dual suits (French and German), which has given rise to some unique features: for example, an ober (male) appears on the same card as a queen (female). It is most unusual to come across a German-suited pack with 52 cards and 3 jokers, just as it is most unusual to find French suits on a pack with card dimensions mainly associated with German-suited packs for playing games such as Schafkopf. Other points to note are that the aces have indices in just two corners whereas all the other cards have them in four. Perhaps to differentiate from the German ‘end’ of each card, at the French ‘end’ the kings are denoted by an ‘R’ rather than a ‘K’. Black and yellow – the two colours most associated with Munich and its flag – are the principal colours used in the back design. Biographical details are provided in the accompanying leaflet (available originally in either English or German).

Munich is Trumps playing cards created by H. Forster. Illustrated by Prof. G. Magnus and M. Keller. Printed by F.X. Schmid, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, c1991

Above: Munich is Trumps playing cards created by H. Forster. Illustrated by Prof. G. Magnus and M. Keller. Printed by F.X. Schmid, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, c1991. 52 cards + 3 Jokers + 1 extra card + leaflet in English, in clear plastic box. Size: 56 x 100 mm. Made for the Munich Tourist Office. Copyright: Edition Fremdenverkehrsamt der Landeshauptstadt München

See the leaflet►

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By Roddy Somerville

France • 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.