Schwarze Katze (or Gioco del Gatto Nero)

When Vito Arienti reproduced this transformation pack in 1984, he made a few changes from the original. He removed the old German tax stamp from the Ace of Hearts, changed the image on the 10 of Spades, he added the word “Joker” to the extra card and reduced the size slightly. On the 8 of Hearts one can read “WS 87” and on the 5 of Hearts “WS”, “WS” probably being the initials of the artist and “87” the publication date (1887). The designs themselves have mostly been simplified or adapted from the Carl Arnold Transformation pack of 1856. Given the design on the 5 of Hearts, the artist may have come from Nuremberg. There appear never to have been any court cards. The pack has square corners and plain, dark brown backs with a discreet mention of the publisher’s name. Numbered, limited edition of 800 packs with a leaflet in Italian and German►

Above: Schwarze Katze (or Gioco del Gatto Nero) published by Vito Arienti, Edizioni del Solleone, Lissone, Italy, 1984. 40 cards + 1 Joker + leaflet with game rules in Italian and German, in cardboard sleeve. Size: 59.5 x 100 mm.

See the cardboard sleeve►

Reference

Field, Albert: Transformation Playing Cards. U.S. Games Systems, Inc.; 1987. #40.