Arpak
The Arpak No-Revoke playing cards, 24 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, c.1927-35.
Arpak No-Revoke playing cards
The “Arpak” Playing Card Co, 24 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, England, c.1927-35
All cards are on a black background which makes them look rather striking. The suit symbols and pips are coloured, intended to help reduce eye strain for people who find it difficult to distinguish the suit signs: spades-yellow, diamonds-white, clubs-green and hearts-red. Packs have 52 cards + 1 joker. Several different formal back designs are known, in red or blue and white, and some decks have gold edges. There are two different sizes of indices and widths of outer borders. Arpak ‘No-revoke’ decks are also known with advertisements on the reverse.
Small Indices
Large Indices
Above & Left: Arpak No-Revoke playing cards, c.1930, showing both sizes of indices, the Joker and some common back designs.
There was no uniformity or standardisation regarding the colour scheme in different No-revoke packs. De la Rue introduced an ‘Optic’ pack in 1900 with spades-blue, diamonds-yellow, clubs-black and hearts-red. De la Rue & Co issued another pack in 1915 with spades-black, diamonds-orange, clubs-blue and hearts-carmine. Universal Playing Card Co Ltd introduced their No-revoke pack in 1930 with spades-black, diamonds-red, clubs in black hatching and hearts in red hatching. Waddington's introduced their No-revoke pack in 1930 with spades-black, diamonds in red diagonal stripes, clubs in black & white and hearts-red.
Different coloured suit symbols had been patented in USA on Nov 23, 1926, by Antoine Lefebure of San Francisco, with the assertion that “even experienced players confuse clubs and spades; hearts and diamonds” see more →
The Arpak Playing Card Company was also involved in a patent for improvements in fountain pens (1928)►
See also: John Newman's Colour Cards►
By Simon Wintle
Spain • Member since February 01, 1996
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.
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Mark Axworthy
13 February 2024, 18:43My grandfather had two very worn packs with which we used to play double patience in the 1960s. The family ran a stationery shop, so he probably got them new in the 1930s. The wonder of the internet means that I now have several sets, including one set issued by Asprey's, the royal jewellers. The pack is in a tasteful art deco box with Asprey's name on it.