Jeu de 54 cartes
Jeu de 54 cartes, completely anonymous, designed to resemble locally produced French packs.
Sometimes cheap and cheerful packs can throw up a surprise. This one did. The pack has no proper name and no sign of a manufacturer; however, a sticker on the outer cellophane wrapper indicates that it was being sold off by a jobber specialising in unwanted stock. It could well have been made in China. Presumably intended for the French market – the indices are R, D, V, and A (rather than 1) – it has court cards based on the English pattern. The tuck box has clearly been designed to resemble locally produced French ones. Obviously not a success! See the box►
Above: Jeu de 54 cartes, completely anonymous, no legends on any ace or anywhere else. 52 cards + 2 Jokers + 1 extra card with text in a mixture of languages, in a tuck box. Size: 57 x 87 mm. Purchased near Toulouse.
NOTE: Ken Lodge has shown these designs to be a re-drawn version of ARRCO’s courts manufactured in China since c.2010. Obviously this is for the French-speaking market with French indices.
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.
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