The World of Playing Cards Logo

El Al Airlines

Published May 31, 2022 Updated May 31, 2022

Pack designed by Jean David (1908-93) for El Al Airlines. The courts are named after Biblical characters.

1965 Israel De la Rue Lion Playing Cards Piatnik Jean David Aviation Souvenir

The first edition of these cards was produced by De La Rue (printed by Waddingtons) for El Al between 1964 and 1968 (see packing slip and DLR seal on unopened pack) [1]. Later printings were by Piatnik: the cards were printed in sheets in Vienna, then shipped to Israel to be cut and finished, hence El Al was able to claim that the cards were “MADE IN ISRAEL” (see Ace of Spades of the Piatnik printing).

The De La Rue edition, c.1964-68. Pack designed by Jean David (1908-93) for El Al Airlines Pack designed by Jean David (1908-93) for El Al Airlines

Above: pack designed by Jean David (1908-93) for El Al Airlines produced by De la Rue between 1964-1968.


The Piatnik edition, c.1970. See the Box

El Al Israel National Airlines by Lion Playing Cards, c.1970 El Al Israel National Airlines by Lion Playing Cards, c.1970

Above: deck designed by Jean David for El Al Israel National Airlines produced by Lion Playing Cards Factory, Tel-Aviv, c.1970. 52 cards + 3 Jokers in each deck. Images courtesy Rex Pitts.

Pack designed by Jean David (1908-93) for El Al Airlines

The main differences between the two printings can be summarised as follows:-

  1. Ace of Spades. On the Piatnik printing, the legend “MADE IN ISRAEL” appears, whereas on the DLR printing it does not. On the DLR printing, “EL AL” appears in Hebrew on the blue-backed pack but in English on the brown-backed pack. On the Piatnik printing, both languages appear to have been used with either back colour.
  2. Jack of Spades. On the DLR printing, a strong purple is used for the pattern of the fabric. On the Piatnik printing, this appears as blue.
  3. Joker. The DLR pack contains 2 Jokers, whereas the Piatnik pack contains 3 Jokers.
  4. Back design. No border on the DLR printing; white border on the Piatnik printing.
  5. Sleeve. Stiff cardboard for the DLR printing; flimsier cardboard for the Piatnik printing.

REFERENCES

[1] Berry, John. The Waddington Playing-card Collection: Part 1 The Archive. [W84]. WCMPC, West Molesey, Surrey, 2005.

avatar
532 Articles

By Roddy Somerville

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.

1 comment

Gregg Evans's Avatar'

I started collecting after seeing this deck online and purchasing a deck on eBay


Leave a Reply

Default Avatar
Your Name
Just now

Create account to comment Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here.


Related Articles

Art pack I

Art pack I

Art pack featuring Old Masters, including Bruegel, Vermeer, Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, Canaletto, ...

1953 Simpson (Piccadilly) playing cards

Simpson (Piccadilly) playing cards

Innovative advertising pack for Simpsons of Piccadilly designed by André François.

2006 Covered bridges playing cards

Covered bridges playing cards

Historical covered bridges with photography by Bill Miller, 2006.

1974 O-Shlemiel card game

O-Shlemiel card game

O-Shlemiel card game with Yiddish words and phrases.

Hispania Romana

Hispania Romana

Educational card game depicting the Roman period in Spanish history.

2000 Austria Ski Team playing cards

Austria Ski Team playing cards

Photos of members of the Austrian skiing team replace the normal courts on two different packs.

2010 Grunwald 1410 – The Battle of Tannenberg

Grunwald 1410 – The Battle of Tannenberg

Details from the famous painting of the Battle of Grunwald (1410) by the Polish painter Jan Matejko....

2013 Go Go Gorillas!

Go Go Gorillas!

Go Go Gorillas! charity playing cards sponsored by the Eastern Daily Press and the Norwich Evening N...

2024 Piatnik’s 200<sup>th</sup> Anniversary

Piatnik’s 200th Anniversary

A special philatelic souvenir for Piatnik’s 200th anniversary, combining playing cards an...

Moguls, Highlanders and Merry Andrews

Moguls, Highlanders and Merry Andrews

Discover the historic origins and evolution of card naming and quality designations like ‘Moguls’ an...

1875 Hand-drawn transformation cards, c1875

Hand-drawn transformation cards, c1875

A complete set of hand-drawn transformation cards from c1875, using a standard De La Rue pack.

Art pack II, Austria

Art pack II, Austria

Renaissance portraits by Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Hans Holbein, Barthel Beham, Christoph Amber...

Sissi playing cards

Sissi playing cards

produced for the Austrian tourist market.

Why our playing-cards look the way they do

Why our playing-cards look the way they do

Analysis of early playing card designs: origins, suit differences, standardization, technological ad...

Seashells playing cards

Seashells playing cards

Each card shows colour photo of a different seashell for easy identification.

Introduction to Collecting Themes

Introduction to Collecting Themes

Playing cards can be broadly categorised into standard and non-standard designs, with collectors app...