Patience No.21

Karl Gerich: No.21 ‘Patience’, 1991

‘Patience No.21’ is a 52-card miniature deck with double-ended courts and a Joker holding a fan of cards. The figures in this pack are much simpler than many of Gerich's courts - partly reflecting the limited space available. All cards have a narrow border. The designs are inspired by ‘Salon No.66’ by V.S.S., originally a Büttner design. The spade suit signs are coloured blue, hearts are orange, clubs green and diamonds yellow.

Above: cards from Karl Gerch's ‘Patience No.21’ playing cards, printed from copperplate etching on goatskin parchment paper, pasted to another sheet, pressed, hand coloured and varnished, published c.1991. Images courtesy Daphne & Mike Tregear.

References:

♣ Tregear, Mike and Daphne, "Karl Gerich: Card Designer and Maker", privately published.

By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

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Curator and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.