Unimol playing cards
Advertising pack for a pharmaceutical company, with brightly coloured courts.
Unimol is a type of paracetamol. Pills, however, are not in evidence here. Instead, the court cards are very much in the non-violent Flower Power style of the late 1960s. The court card designs are the same in each suit, except that different colouring has been used in the red suits versus the black suits. There is text (captions) in Japanese on all the Aces and pip cards. The pips themselves are arranged in a non-standard layout from the 10s down to the 4s. On the backs are yellow and blue pansies within a gold frame on a white background.
Above: ‘Unimol’ playing cards made by Nintendo PC Co. Ltd, Kyoto, Japan, 1970. 52 cards + 2 (identical) Jokers in plastic box. Size: 57 x 87 mm.
By Roddy Somerville
France • 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.
Activity for Unimol playing cards
Sign in to comment or save this article.
Related Articles
Playing cards with prints by Sumio Kawakami
Woodblock print designs created by Sumio Kawakami in 1938-9, each card having a different illustrati...
Nippon Beer
Nippon Beer brewery playing cards published by Nintendo, Japan, 1960s.
Chandelier No. 55 (Nintendo)
Standard international pattern playing cards made in occupied Japan, c.1950.
Loco Jumbo playing cards
54 different colour photographs of steam locomotives from around the world.
Haig Whisky
Japanese advertising pack for Haig Scotch whisky with modified international courts.
Kawasaki Trump
Humorous publicity pack for Kawasaki featuring some of their many products.
Maxim playing cards
Publicity pack from Nintendo for Maxim freeze dried coffee.
Ukiyo-E (Nintendo)
Classic examples of Ukiyo-E painting.
Salmon playing cards
13 colour photographs showing the life cycle of the salmon by Nintendo, Japan.
Crazyrider playing cards
Stylised portrayal of rock musicians from the 1980s.
Nintendo deck with Medieval theme
Courts in medieval costume holding both French and Italian/Spanish suit-signs.
Torys Western Cards
Promotional pack for a brand of Japanese whisky, featuring comic Wild West characters.
Laser Clay playing cards
Pack promoting the Laser Clay Shooting System created by Nintendo in 1973.
Industrial Bank of Japan
Advertising pack designed by Yukio Hohri for The Industrial Bank of Japan.
Onward playing cards
Advertising pack for Japanese fashion and lifestyle business featuring different national and region...
Fujitsu playing cards
Colourful advertising pack for Fujitsu Limited, reminiscent of the flower power/psychedelic era.
Back to Country
Advertising playing cards for a Japanese fashion house, with reversed colours.
Ainu culture
A terrific deck of cards made by Nintendo c.1979 with original designs on every card showing the Ain...
Kabufuda
Kabufuda playing cards manufactured by Nintendo, Japan
Hanafuda Flower Cards
Japanese Flower Cards (Hanafuda) made by Nintendo, Japan, 2008.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
Peter Burnett
19 November 2025, 09:47SavedSaved this article to Peter's Collection