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524 Articles

Peter Burnett

  • United Kingdom • Member since July 27, 2022

I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.

Russian Playing Cards

Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.

Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.

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1993 The Winning Hand

The Winning Hand

The Winning Hand playing cards with artwork from multiple artists, United Kingdom, 1993.

2000 Meantime brewery

Meantime brewery

‘Meantime’ craft brewery playing cards, United Kingdom, c. 2000.

2005 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) playing cards

PBR (Professional Bull Riders) playing cards

PBR (Professional Bull Riders) licensed playing cards, USA, 2005

1972 Artball playing cards

Artball playing cards

Artball playing cards created by Don Celender, USA, 1972.

2012 Aces Playing Cards (2nd edition)

Aces Playing Cards (2nd edition)

‘Aces Playing Cards’ collaborative art deck published by Zeixs, Cologne (2nd edition).

2010 SI Units Revision playing cards

SI Units Revision playing cards

SI Units revision playing cards, United Kingdom.

2005 USA Golf: places to play

USA Golf: places to play

USA golf playing cards showing the best golf courses in the USA.

1986 Hobby horse playing cards

Hobby horse playing cards

Hobby horse playing cards produced by Michael Evans in a limited edition of 350 packs, 1986.

2005 Vintage skyscraper playing cards

Vintage skyscraper playing cards

Vintage skyscraper playing cards published by Inkstone Design, Inc., 2005.

2004 Sushi playing cards

Sushi playing cards

Sushi playing cards illustrating different types and styles of sushi, USA, 2004.

2009 Key West and the Florida Keys

Key West and the Florida Keys

Key West and the Florida Keys playing cards with photography by Werner J. Bertsch and Larry Lipsky.

1995 Vanity Fair 1868-1914

Vanity Fair 1868-1914

Vanity Fair 1868-1914 playing cards published by Billy Bembo, United Kingdom, 1995.

1983 The Deck

The Deck

The Deck semi-transformation playing cards, USA, 1983.

1977 Adventure Fours

Adventure Fours

Adventure Fours playing cards with differently coloured suit symbols, USA 1977

2005 Lifesaving Earthquake Safety Tips

Lifesaving Earthquake Safety Tips

54 Lifesaving earthquake safety tips playing cards produced by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, USA, 2005.

1994 Jack Daniel’s Playing Cards

Jack Daniel’s Playing Cards

Jack Daniel’s™ Old Nº7 Gentlemen’s playing cards produced by Hoyle Products, USA, 1994.

2008 Coolidge playing cards

Coolidge playing cards

Coolidge playing cards featuring dogs playing poker, Aquarius, USA, 2008.

2000 Knot playing cards

Knot playing cards

Knot playing cards intended to teach a variety of useful and interesting knots, USA, 2000.

2006 Heisey Glass Museum

Heisey Glass Museum

National Heisey Glass Museum playing cards featuring artistic glass tableware and figurines, USA, 2006.

2002 Cards Eh!

Cards Eh!

“Cards Eh!” playing cards with general information about Canada produced by JK Productions of Richmond, British Columbia in 2002.

2005 Get Bear Smart

Get Bear Smart

“Get Bear Smart” playing cards published by the Get Bear Smart Society, Canada, 2005.

2015 Love is a smoke

Love is a smoke

‘Love is a smoke’ (Classic edition) fantasy playing cards produced by Passione, Italy, 2015.

Zamki Polski

Zamki Polski souvenir playing cards with 54 drawings of Polish castles.

2009 Charta Bellica

Charta Bellica

“Charta Bellica” playing cards produced by Piatnik, Budapest in 2009.

1965 IBUSZ folklore playing cards

IBUSZ folklore playing cards

Hungarian folklore pack produced by IBUSZ travel agency, c. 1965.

1972 Interhotel playing cards

Interhotel playing cards

Interhotel playing cards printed by Obchodni Tiskárny (OTK), Prague, and published by the Interhotel chain in 1972.

2005 Rybářské karty

Rybářské karty

Fishing-themed playing cards with artwork by Jan Hora, Czech Republic, 2005.

2004 Napoleonské karty

Napoleonské karty

“Napoleonské karty” from the Czech Republic portraying monarchs and emperors.

1982 Carte Méthodique

Carte Méthodique

Reproduction of a French pack by François Silvestre intended to teach heraldry, produced in Paris in 1712.

1983 Spielkarten in Bromsilber-Photographie

Spielkarten in Bromsilber-Photographie

“Spielkarten in Bromsilber-Photographie” facsimile edition by Vito Arienti of Edizioni del Solleone, Italy, 1983.

Sailor Jerry Playing Cards

“Sailor Jerry” tattoo flash playing cards, USA.

2008 Bible playing cards featuring the life of Jesus

Bible playing cards featuring the life of Jesus

Bible playing cards featuring the life of Jesus, USA, 2008.

Stonerware playing cards

Stonerware playing cards featuring cannabis smoking paraphernalia, USA.

2012 Romney Presidential playing cards, 2012

Romney Presidential playing cards, 2012

Romney Presidential playing cards, USA, 2012

2008 Politically WILD Barack Obama

Politically WILD Barack Obama

Politically WILD Barack Obama playing cards, USA, 2008.

2012 Obama Presidential playing cards, 2012

Obama Presidential playing cards, 2012

Obama Presidential re-election playing cards published by Parody Productions LLC of Cincinnati, Ohio, 2012.

2017 Political playing cards (2017)

Political playing cards (2017)

Political playing cards by the British cartoonist Oliver Preston, United Kingdom, 2017.

2015 Political playing cards (2015)

Political playing cards (2015)

Political playing cards produced by Oliver Preston at the time of the 2015 UK Parliamentary election.

1991 Giochi di Corte

Giochi di Corte

“Giochi di Corte” designed by Vito Thümmel and published by Cambissa of Trieste in 1991.

1979 Panorama playing cards

Panorama playing cards

Panorama playing cards included with a weekly news magazine published in Milan, Italy, c. 1979.

1980 The Circus

The Circus

“The Circus” playing cards with artwork by Max Dissar and Rita Rielle, published by Masenghini, Bergamo, c.1980.

2007 Rudy Presidential playing cards

Rudy Presidential playing cards

Rudy Giuliani 2008 Presidential playing cards designed by Corey Ward.

2004 And Marriage For All

And Marriage For All

“And Marriage For All” playing cards promoting equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.

2003 California Total Recall Playing Cards

California Total Recall Playing Cards

California Total Recall Playing Cards / Hasta La Vista, Davis!, USA, 2003.

2003 Texas Democrats Missing in Action

Texas Democrats Missing in Action

“Texas Democrats Missing in Action” playing cards published by Bernsen Consulting, Austin, Texas, 2003.

2002 Rasta playing cards

Rasta playing cards

Rasta playing cards celebrating the Rastafari religion.

2006 Baraja Cristóbal Colón

Baraja Cristóbal Colón

“Baraja Cristóbal Colón” commemorating the 500th anniversary of the death of Christopher Columbus.

1981 Baraja El Quijote

Baraja El Quijote

Baraja El Quijote, facsimile of original deck designed by E. Pastor, reprinted by Naipes Heraclio Fournier, Spain, 1981.

1952 Liban Historique et Touristique

Liban Historique et Touristique

“Liban historique et touristique” souvenir of Lebanon playing cards manufactured by Heraclio Fournier.

1984 Histoire de France

Histoire de France

“Histoire de France” facsimile of French historical deck of 1820.

1993 Maldives pictorial playing cards

Maldives pictorial playing cards

Maldives pictorial souvenir playing cards produced by Fantasy, of Malé, Maldives, 1993.