World of the New Russians
‘World of the New Russians’ (Mir novykh russkikh) satirical playing cards, 2002.
Published by ScanRus, Moscow, in 2002 and printed in Finland by Nelostuote, this pack is a witty and satirical caricature of the values and goals of the New Russians (i.e. aspiring oligarchs and the new rich) after the fall of Communism and the early years of nascent market capitalism. Each of the pip cards shows a material or financial product representing the greed and desires of the aspiring capitalists. For example, mobile phones (shown on the 5 of each suit); expensive watches (the sixes); luxury cars and motorbikes (sevens); private planes and yachts (nines)) and luxurious mansions (tens). The rather unflattering court cards depict the “New Russians”. In addition, there are three identical jokers.
Above: ‘World of the New Russians’ (Mir novykh russkikh) playing cards printed in Finland by Nelostuote and published by ScanRus, Moscow, 2002.
By Peter Burnett
United Kingdom • Member since July 27, 2022 • Contact
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.
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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