Carte da gioco anticomuniste del Comitato civico

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.