Carte da gioco anticomuniste del Comitato civico
Anti-Communist propaganda pack with satirical designs by Benito Jacovitti.
Rarely can a pack of playing cards have carried such a clear and incisive message as this one. That message is “Vote Communist at your peril!” Each one of the 40 cards designed by Benito Jacovitti (1923-1997), the famous Italian comic artist, makes it clear that voting Communist will play into the hands of the Russians and only lead to misery. The artist’s signature, date and the printer’s name all appear on the 3 of Swords. In addition, on this particular example of the pack, the artist has signed the Ace of Swords in ink.
The Comitati Civici (or Civic Committees) were an organisation of Italian lay Catholics committed to defending the country’s religious and moral traditions and to anti-Communist civic mobilisation. They were established on behalf of Pope Pius XII ahead of the political elections of 1948.
Above: Carte da gioco anticomuniste del Comitato civico designed by Benito Jacovitti. Printed by S.A. Arti Grafiche Panetto & Petrelli, Spoleto, Italy, for the Comitato Civico, 1951. 40 cards. Size: 71.5 x 113 mm.
Jacovitti (“Jac” for short) designed other packs of cards including a Mercante in Fiera set published by Modiano and the Tarocchi dei Celti Jacovitti published by Lo Scarabeo.
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.
Activity for Carte da gioco anticomuniste del Comitato civico
Sign in to comment or save this article.
Related Articles
Le carte da gioco Arcimboldo
Courts and suit-signs inspired by the works of the Italian Renaissance painter, Giuseppe Arcimboldo....
I Tarocchi del Buongustaio
A less-than-serious set of major arcana on a gourmet theme, with designs by Cosimo Musio.
Bibaraja
Amusing designs of boys as circus performers by Alberto Muñiz Sánchez.
Il Vostro Destino
Italian fortune-telling pack produced by Viassone and later by Masenghini.
Carte Osteologiche
Skulls and bones of all descriptions have become the suits and pips in this 40-card pack from Italy....
Storia del Fascismo
Published by Il Meneghello, this pack provides a visual history of Fascism in Italy between 1919 and...
Mercante in Fiera di Jacovitti
Traditional Italian card game with comic designs by Benito Jacovitti.
Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico
Promotional pack for Chianti Classico wine, with designs by Costante Costantini.
Florentine pattern variant
Non-standard designs by Chiari of Florence with some of the features of a traditional Florentine pat...
Kawasaki Trump
Humorous publicity pack for Kawasaki featuring some of their many products.
Ethiopian playing cards
A pack with court cards reflecting different ethnic and cultural groups found in Ethiopia.
Golf Playing Cards
Humorous designs and non-standard pips poking fun at golf and golfers.
The Liberty Deck
Portraits, signatures and brief biographies of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence...
Tarock Schafkopf zum Wahlkampf 1990
Playing cards issued to mark the German federal elections held on 2 December 1990.
Guinness World Records Cards
52 Guinness World Records Cards published by if, Pickering, UK, 2011.
9-11-89 passé
Caricatures of East German politicians following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Politisk Tarot
Swedish politicians caricatured by Dan Glimne in a set of Tarot trumps.
Fernando Valenti
Designs by Italian artist Fernando Valenti issued to coincide with an exhibition of his work in 1986...
Bush Cards – The Second Term
Playing cards slanted to the right, issued to mark George W. Bush’s second term of office.
Polit-Poker 1983
Black and white caricatures of famous world leaders by the German artist Bubec.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
