New Orleans Suits
New Orleans Suits playing cards designed by Eddie Tebbe, USA, 1999.
New Orleans native son Eddie Tebbe (1970 – 2023) was a freelance writer, penning dozens of songs, poems, and short stories over the years and was a fixture on the New Orleans music scene. Tebbe designed this playful pack in homage to his beloved city, with the four non-standard suit signs representing distinctive aspects of the city:
- saxophone (known for its strong association with jazz, with New Orleans universally considered to be the birthplace of the genre)
- crawfish (part of Creole cuisine, a traditional New Orleans seafood)
- the crescent moon (the city is called the Crescent City, due to its location on a river bend in the Mississippi resembling a crescent moon)
- the cockroach (New Orleans is often cited as most cockroach-infested city in the United States).
The cartoon court cards are repeated in each suit, and the pack contains two jokers and two cards explaining the rules of “Crescent City Twist” – a card game devised by the author. See the box►
Above: New Orleans Suits playing cards designed by Eddie Tebbe, USA, 1999.
By Peter Burnett
United Kingdom • Member since July 27, 2022
I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.
Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.
Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.
Activity for New Orleans Suits
Sign in to comment or save this article.
Related Articles
Safety playing cards
Safety playing cards designed to reinforce the “Think and Be Safe” concept.
K Deck
“K Deck” political playing cards, USA, c. 2004.
Starz behind bars
Starz behind bars playing cards with mug shots of the rich and famous under arrest, USA, 2003.
House of Cards: Deck of Bush
House of Cards: Deck of Bush playing cards presenting reasons not to re-elect President Bush for a s...
Fate fortune telling cards
Fate fortune telling cards published by Merrimack Publishing Corporation, USA.
Mass Effect playing cards
Mass Effect playing cards published by Dark Horse Deluxe, USA, 2012.
Bush League Allstars
Six different decks of “Bush League Allstars” political playing cards, United States, 2004.
Famous Pirates (2006)
Famous Pirates playing cards with artworks, prints, artefacts & pirate sayings, USA, 2006.
The Presidents playing cards
The Presidents playing cards first published by Arcturus LLC in 2007, reprinted in 2009.
Presidents of the United States
‘Presidents of the United States’ playing cards published by PostCardusa of Florida after 2009.
Tulsa City-County Library System Annual Report
Tulsa City-County Library System Annual Report playing cards, USA, 1983.
Stars of Country Music
Stars of Country Music playing cards with non-standard suit symbols, USA, 1995
Tamarind Institute stacked deck
Tamarind Institute stacked deck, USA, 2003
Lifesaving Earthquake Safety Tips
54 Lifesaving earthquake safety tips playing cards produced by the Golden Gate National Parks Conser...
Politically WILD Barack Obama
Politically WILD Barack Obama playing cards, USA, 2008.
Texas Democrats Missing in Action
“Texas Democrats Missing in Action” playing cards published by Bernsen Consulting, Austin, Texas, 20...
Oliver North’s Pack of Lies
“Oliver North’s Pack of Lies” produced to help defeat Oliver North in his bid for Senator of Virgin...
Trump Presidential playing cards
Trump Presidential playing cards by Parody Productions, USA, 2015.
Politipack ’88 playing cards
Politipack ’88 produced by Robert Billingsley, USA, 1988.
World’s Most Wanted Criminals
“World’s Most Wanted Criminals” playing cards published by the World Without Criminals Organization,...
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
