Stancraft
Stancraft Playing Cards were manufactured by Brown & Bigelow of whom they were a subsidiary.
Stancraft Playing Cards were a subsidiary of Brown & Bigelow / Hoyle and design features or plastic coating patents were shared between several brands such as “Stardust”, “Kent” or “Nu-Vue”. In the late 1960s Brown & Bigelow was acquired by Standard Packaging Corporation, which was in turn acquired by Saxon Industries in 1970. This information is often printed on the ace of spades and helps with dating.
Above: Stancraft “Split Deck”, 1979.
Above: standard patience size ‘miniature’ deck manufactured by Brown & Bigelow for Stancraft Products under the Hoyle brand (a division of Standard Packaging Corporation), c.1960s. Image courtesy Matt Probert.
Above: Cheer-Up deck with medical humour, 1960s. The cards are doubly protected with Redi-Slip and Corobex® germ-proof finish. Image courtesy Rex Pitts. Click image to zoom.
Above: double Stancraft™ Bridge set featuring scientifically tinted Nu-Vue coating, St Paul, Minnesota, c.1960s. The courts are unturned. Image courtesy Matt Probert.
Above: “Stardust” brand manufactured for Stancraft by Brown & Bigelow, c.1970. The Nu-Vue scientifically tinted plastic coating was reckoned to reduce eye fatigue by 35%. Images courtesy Matt Probert.
Above: from leaflet inside Bridge set, early 1960s. Courtesy Matt Probert.
Above: Hamm's Beer promotional deck illustrated by Frank M. Antoncich, 1968. Courtesy Rex Pitts.
Maverick
Above: Stancraft Maverick deck with tax stamp on the box and a revolver and gambling chips motif on the jokers and box. Brown & Bigelow and Standard Packaging entered into merger talks in 1960, and Standard Packaging created the Stancraft division in 1961. It is not clear when the Maverick brand was first introduced. Image courtesy Clay Boulware.
Above: Stancraft Maverick brand tapered deck produced for magic tricks, unturned courts, 1973. See the Instructions► Courtesy Matt Probert.
Above: Stancraft jumbo-index Maverick playing cards, c.1975. 52 cards + 2 jokers in box.
Above: Hoyle jumbo Maverick playing cards, after 2001.
Kent
Above: double deck bridge set "By Hoyle", produced under the Kent brand by Stancraft Products "A Division of Standard Packaging Corp" according to the box, which also carries the prominent code number 3451.
Above: “Kent” brand manufactured by Brown & Bigelow, c.1970. Images courtesy Matt Probert.
Above: from leaflet inside Bridge set, early 1960s. Courtesy Matt Probert.
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.
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