American Civil War playing cards
American Civil War centennial playing cards designed by Teodoro N. Miciano and published by Fournier, Spain, 1961.
Above: The back design.
This pack was published by Fournier in 1961 to commemorate the centenary (1861-1961) of the American Civil War. The court cards depict the major figures of the Civil War, including Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis and many of the Generals. The suits of spades and diamonds are devoted to Union figures, and hearts and clubs to the Confederacy. The aces represent some of the most important battles, while the fours of each suit are decorated with canons and the first two armoured ships – the Monitor and the Merrimac. There is a descriptive 16-page booklet which provides information about the battles, individuals and military images portrayed. The pack was designed by Teodoro N. Miciano. See the box►
Above: American Civil War playing cards designed by Teodoro N. Miciano and published by Fournier, Spain, 1961.
Note: this pack appears in the Fournier Museum catalogue, p. 93 no.780.
Addendum - courtesy Roddy Somerville.
As the pack I own has a label inside the lid with the name and address of a selling agent in Cannes, France (Emile Picciotto France s.a.r.l.), it therefore has an exportation stamp on the 4 of Clubs
A later edition of this set has a box which is slightly smaller in length and depth, has different wording on the front and has a sliding black plastic tray for the cards rather than a hinged lid. A third version has the added wording "Distributed Exclusively by U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA.
By 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.
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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