Fredericks & Mae playing cards
A rainbow pack from the design team of Fredericks & Mae and Benjamin English.
Colour is the key element in this pack – at the expense of other design features. The effect of spreading all the cards out does indeed resemble a rainbow; however, the gradations of colour are not uniform, such that certain cards (notably the 3H, 7H, 10H, 5S, QS, KS, 5J, JD) stick out like a sore thumb. Given the relatively poor quality of the card stock, it is impossible to fan the cards evenly. As for the design itself, the court cards all feature a circle of stars, with a wreath added to the design for the Qs and Ks and a pattern of circles in the centre of the Ks – not very imaginative. The pips are laid out in a non-standard fashion on the numeral cards, with the central pips on the 2s and 3s ending up upside down vis-à-vis their normal positions (except on the suit of diamonds). The back pattern is unremarkable. All in all, a nice idea but not well executed.
Above: Fredericks & Mae playing cards published by Princeton Architectural Press, New York, NY, USA, 2015. 52 cards + 2 extra cards in black and white + 29-page booklet (history and card game rules) in telescopic box. Size: 63.5 X 89.5 mm. Made in China. © 2015 Fredericks & Mae
By Roddy Somerville
France • Member since May 31, 2022
Roddy started collecting stamps on his 8th birthday. In 1977 he joined the newly formed playing-card department at Stanley Gibbons in London before setting up his own business in Edinburgh four years later. His collecting interests include playing cards, postcards, stamps (especially playing cards on stamps) and sugar wrappers. He is a Past President of the Scottish Philatelic Society, a former Chairman of the IPCS, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards and Curator of the WCMPC’s collection of playing cards. He lives near Toulouse in France.
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