I. Hardy facsimile
Facsimile edition of 19th century I. Hardy Exportation deck complete with reproduction tax wrapper, c.1980s.
Facsimile edition of 19th century I. Hardy Exportation deck complete with reproduction tax wrapper, c.1980s.
Above: facsimile edition of 19th century I. Hardy Exportation deck reproduced c.1985 or earlier. The facsimile packs were made for sale at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia and were obtained wholesale from there and resold by local dealers. There is no mention of the word “reproduction”, “facsimile” or the publisher’s name. Although printed on modern cardboard, the deck could be mistaken for a genuine original item. Images courtesy Matt Probert.
By Matt Probert
United Kingdom • Member since March 02, 2012
I 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.
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