Film Noir

Published March 29, 2024 Updated March 29, 2024

A deck of 55 cards, celebrating hard boiled heroes, wise-cracking women, mean streets, guns and gumshoes!

2021 United Kingdom Bird Playing Cards Piatnik Haime and Butler Movies & Film

Above: Ace of Diamonds card displaying Joan Crawford from the 1949 Danish film poster "Flamingo Road," reflecting the compelling allure of Film Noir's leading ladies.

A classy collection of 54 images, 18 in monochrome (Why not? It is Film Noire!) depicting the dark side of the movies during the forties and fifties.

In this world you turn the other cheek and you get hit with a lug wrench.

This combination of film posters and stars of the era have been carefully put together, capturing in a small package what Film Noir was about.

There is a certain amount of structure in the positioning of the fronts in the deck:

  • Aces — Leading femme fatales
  • Kings — monochrome photos of leading men
  • Queens — Posters featuring leading ladies
  • Jacks — Foreign posters featuring leading men
  • Tens — Monochrome couples
  • Sevens — Monochrome leading ladies
  • Twos — Monochrome leading actors

A double-sided info card delightfully written by Nicholas Bird, gives an insight to the genre.

Design and text is by Nicky Bird Design, published by Bird Playing Cards, designed by Haime and Butler, printed by Piatnik. The box sides, carry more detail about the deck

The cards are all vertically viewed. The Piatnik number is 1604. The super quality of the cards is everything you would expect from this printer.

The deck is still available from Bird Playing Cards.


2021 Nicky Bird Film Noir Scan 10.jpg
2021 Nicky Bird Film Noir Scan 11.jpg
2021 Nicky Bird Film Noir Scan 2.jpg
2021 Nicky Bird Film Noir Scan 3.jpg
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2021 Nicky Bird Film Noir Scan 5.jpg
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18 Articles

By Ian Taylor

Member since June 20, 2022

I've played card games from the age of three, collecting all things "cards" from 16 and finally started to specialise at 58! Thanks to these wonderful pages and a certain Mr Lodge, my main interest is in British decks, with examples of the English standard pattern in other countries. I am beginning to develop a liking for Belgium and German cards, too. It's nice to be able to spend time writing profiles for WOPC, on more modern yet beautiful decks. Looking forward to retiring in April, when I can spend more time on this wonderful interest.

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