State Historical Society of Wisconsin

Souvenir deck from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin containing photographs from the collections of The State Historical Society and The State Conservation Department on each card. The photographs are rectangular monochrome b/w images of Wisconsin with descriptive captions beneath each photo. The Joker carries an outline map of the State of Wisconsin with the State Seal superimposed and with the legend ‘Founded 1846’ beneath. The deck could possibly be a centenary issue. The reverse has a colour photo of the Dells of the Wisconsin River showing the Cambrian sandstone rock formations.

Above: Souvenir deck from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, c.1946. Images courtesy Matt Probert.

By Matt Probert

Member since March 02, 2012

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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.