Above: numeral and court cards from an Italian tarot pack (with inscriptions in Italian) made by Lamperti of Milan, c.1850. Many earlier examples had inscriptions in French. The stamp on the Re di Bastoni was in use in the Kingdom of Lombardy from 1850 to 1857. The text is 'MILANO', the value is 'CENT. 25.' It was for regular and Tarot packs. This was used for 'rough' cards, the value for smooth cards was 50 cent. (Info courtesy Gianni Monzali).
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
View ArticlesCurator 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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