The Cooper Union
The Cooper Union caricature playing cards illustrated by Gerry Gersten, United States, c. 1987
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art was founded in 1859 by the industrialist Peter Cooper (1791-1883) to improve and elevate the working classes. On February 27, 1860, the school's Great Hall, located in the basement level of the Foundation Building, became the site of a historic address by Abraham Lincoln, and since then, the Great Hall has hosted historic addresses by numerous American Presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and major figures from the political, social, economic, philosophical and literary fields.
This pack, published by U.S. Games Systems, c. 1987, features brilliant drawings on each card of all the famous persons that have spoken at the Great Hall of the Cooper Union. The illustrations were drawn by the political caricaturist Gerry Gersten (1927-2017). See the box►
Above: The Cooper Union caricature playing cards illustrated by Gerry Gersten and published by U.S. Games Systems, c. 1987.
The pack has 52 suited cards + 2 Jokers + 2 additional cards + plus a booklet written by Emily Schifrin containing brief biographies of the speakers featured on the cards.
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 The Cooper Union
Sign in to comment or save this article.
Related Articles
Royal Mischief Transformation
Royal Mischief Transformation reworks Patrick Valenza’s Royal Mischief characters and imagery...
Get Decked
Black and white cartoons devised by Sam Wagner with help from artist Lindsay Bevington.
The Tarot of Meditation – Yeager Tarot
Marty Yeager’s original Tarot of Meditation from 1975, republished later by U.S. Games Systems, Inc....
Victorian playing cards
54 different card designs including people, animals, flowers, costumes and ornaments popular during ...
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! playing cards
Strange facts from Robert Ripley’s ‘Believe It or Not’ books, in the form of cartoons.
Politicards 1980
Politicards 1980 in which Ronald Reagan defeated the incumbent Jimmy Carter, with caricatures by Kei...
New Palladini Tarot
“The New Palladini Tarot” by David Palladini published by U.S. Games Inc., in 1996.
Historic Early Aviation
Reproductions of cigarette cards from 1910 on the subject of the early days of aviation.
The Age of Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs from different ages and locations, with artwork by Virginijus Poshkus.
Buffalo soldiers
“Buffalo soldiers” playing cards commemorating African American military men who helped change the f...
Hooray for Hollywood
‘Hooray for Hollywood’ movie star playing cards produced by Parody Productions, USA, 2006.
African art playing cards
African art and symbolism on playing cards designed by John J. Beckvermit III, USA, 1994.
The Deck
The Deck semi-transformation playing cards, USA, 1983.
White House of Cards
“White House of Cards” produced by Peter Dunlap-Shohl, USA, 2017.
Mummy Playing Cards
Die-cut cards in the shape of an Egyptian sarcophagus.
Stacked Deck
“Stacked Deck” business caricature playing cards, USA, c. 2003.
Klutz Card Deck
Klutz Card Deck with comic courts.
Bicycle Emotions
Bicycle Emotions playing cards with custom emotions on the courts to help you bluff at cards, 2013. ...
The Playing Card Oracles
The Picture Book of Ana Cortez is an original work of art designed to facilitate Divination.
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon playing cards featuring SpongeBob and Patrick the star fish
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 60 days
