Salmon playing cards
13 colour photographs showing the life cycle of the salmon by Nintendo, Japan.
To quote from the poor English text on the backs of these cards, the salmon is a “misterious fish which return to their mother river”. Thirteen different photographs have been used to depict the life cycle of the salmon. These are captioned in Japanese. The designs are repeated on the same card in each suit. All the images are in horizontal format. A fine specimen appears on the back against a red background.
Salmon forms an important part of the Japanese diet. Annual salmon consumption in Japan was 420,000 tons in 2013!
Above: Salmon playing cards made by Nintendo, Japan, c1985. 52 cards + 2 Jokers in plastic box. Size: 58 x 89 mm.
By Roddy Somerville
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.
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