Nederland Line Royal Dutch Mail shipping publicity deck featuring court cards and aces in the elegant, rococo-style “Nieuw Neerlandia” pattern designed by the famous Dutch artist Marinus Adrianus Koekkoek (1873-1944) and produced in chromolithography by Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland, c.1930s

Above: Nederland Line Royal Dutch Mail shipping publicity deck produced by Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland with double index letters (Dutch & English), c.1930s. One of a pair - one red and one blue - both in anonymous boxes, and anonymous within. Decks were also produced with alternative indices or plain aces. Images courtesy Matt Probert.

Above: VNS (United Netherlands Navigation Company) deck by Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland Amsterdam, 1930s. Image courtesy Rex Pitts.

By Matt Probert

Member since March 02, 2012

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I have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.

Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.

Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.

I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.