Caledonian Airways “European Phrases”
“European Phrase” playing cards produced for Caledonian Airways, 1994.
“European Phrase” playing cards produced by Toyforce Ltd for the Scottish charter airline Caledonian Airways with English phrases translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German and Greek, ideal for making small-talk during the flight. See the Box►
Above: “European Phrase” playing cards produced by Toyforce Ltd for Caledonian Airways, printed in Belgium by Carta Mundi, 1994.
By Matt Probert
Member since March 02, 2012
View ArticlesI have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.
Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.
Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.
I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.
Leave a Reply
Recommended
Pentacards
A five-suited set of playing cards published by Fleet and Case Games Ltd., Rainham, Kent, UK, c.1980.
Souvenir Views of Scotland Playing Cards
52 selected views of Scotland by De La Rue (Waddingtons) for GlenAlan Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland, c.1960s.
Trajes Regionais Portugueses
Portuguese regional costumes published by the French division of Banco Pinto & Sotto Mayor.
The Jovial Cards
Publicity items for a group of entertainers, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK, 1911.
Waddington’s “Silkette” Playing Cards
Cards made by John Waddington Ltd. for the Madras Club, Chennai (formerly Madras), India, c.1930.
Helmsley Hotels
Publicity pack for the Harley and Helmsley Hotels, U.S.A., c.1986.
Highland Hospice
54 different personalities from the city of Inverness published by the Highland Hospice.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme covers from 1956 to 2016 published by Winning Moves UK Ltd.
Cape Wrath
Images from the Ministry of Defence Cape Wrath Training Centre, Sutherland, Scotland. Published 2010.
C.L.Wüst Poster Stamps
A set of advertising poster stamps for C.L.Wüst playing cards.
Vesalius Anatomy Card Game
Celebrating the work of Andreas Vesalius in the quincentenary year of his birth.
O Baralho dos Provérbios!
Portuguese proverbs in combination with special courts and suit-signs published by Apenas Livros, Lisbon.
Sirocco by Riffle Shuffle Playing Card Co.
Sirocco, nautical themed playing cards by Riffle Shuffle Playing Card Co. and designed by Nathan Oser, 2020.
Nomad Luxury Playing Cards
Luxury playing cards produced by Theory11 in collaboration with The Nomad Hotel in New York City.
Chocolate playing cards with scenes from World War 1
An extraordinary Spanish pack of chocolate advertising playing cards dating from 1920
Team GB
Great Britains’s Olympic gold medallists from 1964 to 2004 published by the British Olympic Association.
David Kindersley Centenary
Celebration of the work of David Kindersley, stone letter-carver and typeface designer. Published by the Cardozo Kindersley Workshop, Cambridge, UK, 2015.
Garuda Indonesia Airline
Souvenir pack from Garuda Indonesia, the national airline of Indonesia, c.1985.
Avengers Playing Cards by Theory11
Marvel’s Avengers: The Infinity Saga Premium Playing Cards produced by Theory11 and designed by Mattson Creative, 2021.
Official England Rugby Playing Cards
Pack celebrating the rugby world champions of 2003. Produced by MMcardz.
Martinique
Original designs from the French overseas department of Martinique by local artist Martine Porry.
Beaujolais je t’aime …
Pack promoting Beaujolais wine published by Editions du Nuton, France.
Gó Succo
Gó Succo fruit juice promotion deck featuring Walt Disney cartoons.
Ergomia
Complete re-design of traditional pack into what the publishers considered to be ergonomically efficient.
El Al Airlines
Pack designed by Jean David (1908-93) for El Al Airlines. The courts are named after Biblical characters.
Royal Cards Reign of Queen Anne
“Royal Cards Reign of Queen Anne” cover historical events, both honourable and treacherous, during the period 1702 to 1704.
Hall & Son
Hall & Son
Fortune-Telling Cards
Comic Fortune-Telling Cards published by Reynolds & Sons, c.1850.
Comic Question & Answer cards
Comic Question & Answer cards by Josh. Reynolds & Sons, circa 1850.
Myriorama
Myriorama of Italian scenery, 1824.
Transformation Cards for Christmas
Hand-drawn Transformation cards, c.1870.
PLAYING CARDS: A Secret History
PLAYING CARDS: A Secret History
Folk Cards
Folk Cards designed by Krystyna Gruchalska-Bunsch for Lot Polish Airlines, 1962.
IBM Linux One
IBM Linux One playing cards, c.2018.
Sergeant-Major
Sergeant-Major card game devised by W.G.Smith
Rex Pitts (1940-2021)
We are deeply saddened by news of the passing of Anthony Rex Pitts (1940-2021).
Pepys Games
The Story of Pepys Games by Rex Pitts
J. W. Spear and Sons
Jacob Wolfe Spear founded his company manufacturing fancy goods in 1879 near Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany
Chad Valley Co. Ltd
Chad Valley Co. Ltd (incorporating Johnson Brothers (Harborne) Ltd, the long-established UK brand bought by Woolworths in 1988 and now sold at Argos.
Multum in Parvo Co., Ltd
Multum in Parvo published a range of indoor games during the period from 1884-1927.