On The Cards
A Motley Pack - transformation playing cards & ‘On The Cards’ book facsimile published by Sunish Chabba, 2019.
Sunish Chabba’s superb re-print of “On The Cards” or “A Motley Pack” by the Australian writer Garnet Walch (originally published in Melbourne in 1875) in the form of a Christmas Annual features 40 transformed playing cards illustrated by Australian poet George Gordon McCrae. This lavish production is a gem for any collector.
McCrae’s cards are now produced for the first time as a separate deck, whilst the accompanying book contains Garnet Walch’s original text with a coloured version of McCrae’s cards. The facsimile edition is produced with grateful thanks to the State Library Melbourne. The set comes in two versions, Royal Edition & Heritage Edition. Available here►
Royal Edition
Above: Royal Edition facsimile of transformed playing cards from “A Motley Pack” illustrated by George Gordon McCrae, published in full colour with corner indices by Sunish Chabba & Ishan Trivedi, 52 cards + 2 jokers + 2 extra cards in box, 2019. The cards are accompanied by a re-print of “On The Cards”, a book by the Australian writer Garnet Walch, originally published in Melbourne in 1875. The 40 cards are completely redrawn from the original book & we have taken liberty by adding the 14 cards which were missing in the book so as to make the complete deck of playing cards. Printed by United States Playing Card Company (USPCC). An augmented reality app is also available for both iOS & Android devices that works with book and the deck of cards.
Heritage Edition
Above: Heritage Edition facsimile of transformed playing cards from “A Motley Pack” illustrated by George Gordon McCrae, published by Sunish Chabba & Ishan Trivedi, 52 cards + 2 jokers + 2 extra cards with gilded edges in box, 2019. The Heritage gilded deck is hand-numbered on the tuckbox and printed by WJPC. The cards are accompanied by a re-print of “On The Cards”, a book by the Australian writer Garnet Walch, originally published in Melbourne in 1875.
The Book
Above: pages from the re-print of “On The Cards” or “A Motley Pack”, originally published in Melbourne in 1875, presented in colour by Sunish Chabba & Ishan Trivedi, Guru Playing Card Company, Australia, 2019. 160pp. The books are published in a numbered edition of 600 copies & the last pages contain the advertisements from the original book.
A summary of the book in pdf format is available for readers of WoPC here►
FURTHER REFERENCES
Book and cards available from Guru Playing Card Company►
More details on Kickstarter: A Motley Pack -Transformation Playing Cards & Book►
By Simon Wintle
Spain • Member since February 01, 1996 • Contact
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
Related Articles
Transformation Cards for Christmas
Hand-drawn Transformation cards, c.1870.
Bosch Puzzle Playing Cards
Bosch Puzzle Playing Cards by Sunish Chabba, 2020.
Aesop’s Fables
Aesop’s Fables playing cards by I. Kirk, c.1759.
Kalevala
Kalevala playing cards by Sunish Chabba and Ishan Trivedi inspired by ancient Finnish mythology.
Bharata Playing Cards
Bharata Playing Cards - Series 2, based on Indian folk art, published by Sunish Chabba, 2018.
Flinders playing cards
Flinders playing cards manufactured by Hudson Industries Pty Ltd (Australia).
Comic Families
“Comic Families” card game from Australia, c.1940s
Etruria Minchiate
The Cavaliers are man/beast creatures. The Valets (or Pages) are male for clubs and swords, and fema...
Watersprite tarot
The vibrant colours and artwork glorify the symbolism, mood and positive energy in this exciting new...
Transformation of Playing Cards
The best-known fantasies with playing cards are the ‘Transformation’ cards. Hand-drawing ‘transforma...
Literary Figures
Non-Standard Literary Figures playing cards manufactured by Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne A.G., Vienna, 1924...
Cats, Cakes, Clothes and Cups
Dianne Longley is a print artist who produces books and folios as well as intaglio and relief prints...
Renaissance Playing Cards
Renaissance Playing Cards by Maxim Hurwicz, showing 54 different drawings spanning the years 1066 to...
Cries of London
The cards were printed from copper plates, with the red suit symbols being applied later by stencil....
Transformation Playing Cards, 1811
Transformation playing cards, first published in 1811. Each card bears a picture in which the suit m...
Fernando Pessoa & Co playing cards
Fernando Pessoa & Co playing cards - Lisbon
MusoDeck Playing Cards for Musicians
MusoDeck Playing Cards for Musicians
The Enchanted Journey
The Enchanted Journey
Queen of Hearts
“Queen of Hearts” by Josie Callipari, winner of the Brian Tucker Accounting Desert Fantasia Award 20...
Woodblock and Stencil Playing Cards
Around 1987 I decided to make a pack of playing cards from woodblocks and coloured with stencils. I ...
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
