The World of Playing Cards Logo

Old Met playing cards

Published January 14, 2024 Updated January 14, 2024

Old Met playing cards published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, USA, 1986.

1986 USA Metropolitan Opera Guild Music Theatre

Published in 1986 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild Inc., the aces, court cards and jokers of this pack feature elegant photographs of artists who made their Met debuts at the Old Metropolitan Opera House at Broadway and 39th Street. This building was closed and later demolished in 1967. The Metropolitan Opera, now located at the Lincoln Center, replaced the Old Met in 1966.

An extra card details the name of the artist, the opera and the character played. They are portrayed against a pattern of scrollwork adapted from the wall covering of one of the grand salons located in the Old House. This same pattern also appears on the reverse of the cards.

Old Met playing cards published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild Inc., 1986 Old Met playing cards published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild Inc., 1986 Old Met playing cards published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild Inc., 1986

Above: Old Met playing cards published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild Inc., 1986.

avatar
527 Articles

By Peter Burnett

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.

Russian Playing Cards

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.


Leave a Reply

Default Avatar
Your Name
Just now

Create account to comment Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here.


Related Articles

2021 Junior Playing Cards

Junior Playing Cards

Child-friendly versions of standard English pattern cards designed by Louie Mantia, Jr.

2021 Last Call Cats playing cards

Last Call Cats playing cards

Bar-crawling cats, designed by artists Arna Miller and Ravi Zupa.

2006 Covered bridges playing cards

Covered bridges playing cards

Historical covered bridges with photography by Bill Miller, 2006.

1981 Motherpeace Round Tarot

Motherpeace Round Tarot

An original and imaginative feminist tarot based on Goddess energy.

1986 Victorian playing cards

Victorian playing cards

54 different card designs including people, animals, flowers, costumes and ornaments popular during ...

1980 Crown Hill playing cards

Crown Hill playing cards

Crown Hill playing cards with illustrations by Corrine Guiney, USA,

1974 O-Shlemiel card game

O-Shlemiel card game

O-Shlemiel card game with Yiddish words and phrases.

2024 Hesslers Four-Colour “No Revoke” Deck

Hesslers Four-Colour “No Revoke” Deck

Hesslers Maiden Back Four-Colour “No Revoke” Deck, with enhanced visibility and a traditional look. ...

2011 The Heart Deck™

The Heart Deck™

Useful information about heart health on every card.

1996 Star Trek® – The Original Series

Star Trek® – The Original Series

Promotional pack for CIC Video with characters and starships from the original series of Star Trek. ...

1973 Colonial Art

Colonial Art

A collection of 53 pieces of art showcasing detailed scenes from early American colonial life.

2012 Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom

Crafted by Hatch Design and benefitting the World Wildlife Fund, animal heads replace the traditiona...

Classification of Numeral Card Designs in French-suited packs

Classification of Numeral Card Designs in French-suited packs

The classification of numeral cards in French-suited packs, covering various pip designs in over 400...

2023 Warner Bros 100<sup>th</sup> Anniversary

Warner Bros 100th Anniversary

An array of famous characters from Warner Bros films in celebration of the company’s centenary.

1984 Opernkarte I

Opernkarte I

Humorous designs by Peter Becker on the theme of the Opera.

2010 Go Green playing cards

Go Green playing cards

Suggestions how to “go green” and help combat the impact of climate change.