L Day
Antique cards forming a composite pack by L.Day, Kingdom of Ireland, 1780.
This interesting pack is preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. An ace of spades shows an official stamp in lilac: a left-facing crowned harp, the badge or coat-of-arms of the former Kingdom (or Monarchy) of Ireland. Beneath this we see the maker or publisher's name and the date 1780. There is also a second, plain ace of spades.
Closer inspection shows that the pack was compiled from several different sources, with 43 cards of varying sizes and styles of draughtsmanship brought together. The designs are standard English pattern but several cards are turned facing the other way. Many cards show signs of being removed from a mounting, and one or two appear to have been re-used for secondary purposes.
Above: assorted cards from an incomplete deck by L Day, Ireland, 1780. 43 playing cards: stencilled woodcut; square corners; plain backs; 9.5 x 6.3 cm. Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France • Jeu de cartes au portrait anglais►
Reference
Bibliothèque nationale de France: Jeu de cartes au portrait anglais►
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
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