Panorama playing cards
Panorama playing cards included with a weekly news magazine published in Milan, Italy, c. 1979.
This pack was made by Windmill Playing Card Co. of Hong Kong for Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, the largest publishing company in Italy, for inclusion in Panorama, a weekly news magazine published in Milan. The court cards and 2 jokers feature the brilliant original designs of satirical cartoonist Alfredo Chiappori (1943-2022). The ace of spades shows a windmill within the central suit sign, while the courts show cartoons of legal, religious, military and business figures.


Above: Panorama playing cards published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, c.1979. 52 French-suited cards, plus 2 Jokers. The cards measure 88mm x 62mm.
Note from Roddy Somerville
For the record, Giulio Andreotti (1919-2013) is represented on the King of Hearts, while the King of Diamonds depicts the head of Fiat, Gianni Agnelli (1921-2003). The King of Clubs probably represents Giovanni Leone (1908-2001). The red Joker is almost certainly Bettino Craxi (1934-2000). The same back design also exists in red. Sorry I don't know who is on the black Joker. R.S

By Peter Burnett
Member since July 27, 2022
I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.
Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.
Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.
Trending Articles
Popular articles from the past 28 days
Related Articles

Woodblock and Stencil Joker
A limited edition art print of the 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Queen of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Queen of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil King of Diamonds
A limited edition art print of the King of Diamonds 1984 woodblock joker.

Woodblock and Stencil Jack of Clubs
A limited edition art print of the Jack of Clubs 1984 woodblock joker.

Storia del Fascismo
Published by Il Meneghello, this pack provides a visual history of Fascism in Italy between 1919 and...

Jack-O’-Lantern Tarot
Giuliano Costa's Jack-O’-Lantern tarot blends Rider-Waite symbolism with the rich and atmospheric th...

Tarot of the Unknown
Inspired by the Halloween Cartoon “Over the Garden Wall”.

Schwarze Katze (or Gioco del Gatto Nero)
Reproduction of a 40-card transformation pack with designs by “WS”, adapted for the game of Black Ca...

Hot-Air Balloons & Co.
Hot-air balloons and airships from the early days to 1988, with designs by S. Baraldi and F. Tacconi...

Carte da Gioco Mongolfiere
Various hot-air balloons on a pack from a small Florentine publisher.

Marcel Ruijters Tarots
Two very remarkable tarots by the award winning Dutch cartoonist Marcel Ruijters.

Mickey Mouse Rummy
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other Disney characters on a pack made for Eastern Europe.

Mercante in Fiera di Jacovitti
Traditional Italian card game with comic designs by Benito Jacovitti.

Le Nuove Minchiate di Firenze
Costante Costantini's second Minchiate deck, “Le Nuove Minchiate di Firenze”, was published by Solle...

Bolognese pattern
Standard Bolognese pattern pack by Murari of Bari.

Minchiate Fiorentine
Minchiate Fiorentine created by Costante Costantini, published by Edizioni del Solleone.

El Jueves playing cards
Caricatures of 52 famous Spaniards for the satirical magazine “El Jueves”.

I Tarocchi del Cinema (di Sesar)
A set of Tarot trumps on the subject of the cinema, with designs by Sergio Sarri.

Le carte della Fortuna
Modern Italian fortune-telling pack from 1975, with designs by Sergio Ruffolo.

Art Nouveau Oracle
A Lenormand-type fortune-telling pack in the Art Nouveau style.

Tarocco Indovino
Sergio Ruffolo’s “Tarocco Indovino” is an expanded version of his “Lo Zodiaco” cartomancy deck.

Il Mercante in Fiera del Solleone
Traditional Italian card game with bold designs by Costante Costantini.

Venus et Cupidon
“Venus et Cupidon” from Costante Costantini in his distinctive woodcut style.

Italia playing cards
Small, narrow cards designed by Osvaldo Menegazzi, bearing a strong resemblance to a Swedish pattern...

Napoleone playing cards
Long, narrow cards designed by Osvaldo Menegazzi, featuring Napoleon, Josephine and various soldiers...

Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico
Promotional pack for Chianti Classico wine, with designs by Costante Costantini.

Burgdorf Abschreckhärtetechnik
Promotional pack for a German steel hardening business, with designs by Costante Costantini.

Suzuki playing cards
Suzuki playing cards produced by Nintendo, Japan, 1978.

Baraja Mística
‘Baraja Mística’ satirical playing-cards featuring revelling clergy published by Litografía Fernánde...

P. Buscaglia: Spanish-suited cards
Spanish-suited cards published by P. Buscaglia, Mele & Genova.

Carte Bolognesi
New designs reinforcing Bologna’s reputation as the gastronomic capital of Italy.

Le carte di Tex
Characters from the famous Italian comic book series, Tex, created by Gian Luigi Bonelli and Aurelio...

Florentine pattern variant
Non-standard designs by Chiari of Florence with some of the features of a traditional Florentine pat...

Natural History Tarocchi
Natural History Tarocchi by Ferdinando Gumppenberg, Milan.

Spanish Political pack
Satirical playing cards manufactured by Francar y Cía depicting political situation, Barcelona, 1872...

Carte da gioco anticomuniste del Comitato civico
Anti-Communist propaganda pack with satirical designs by Benito Jacovitti.

Celebrate Mickey
‘Celebrate Mickey’ commemorative playing cards: 75 years of fun, USA, 2003.

Promo-Québec
Fun designs by Normand Hudon promoting the Canadian province of Quebec.

WW2 German Propaganda Playing Cards
showing satirical portraits of Allied leaders and politicians

Alessandro Manzoni Centenary
Issued to mark the centenary of the death of Alessandro Manzoni, one of Italy’s greatest writers.

Baudelaire playing card collection
Baudelaire playing card collection illustrated by Alméry Lobel-Riche and published by Lo Scarabeo in...

Diabolik Poker
Characters from the Italian comic series Diabolik, with designs by Paolo and Sergio Zaniboni.

Lo Zodiaco
French-suited fortune-telling pack with distinctive designs by Italian artist Sergio Ruffolo.

Scarfes Bar playing cards
‘Scarfes Bar’ satirical playing cards with cartoons by Gerald Scarfe, United Kingdom.