New Era No.46

Around 1895 the recently incorporated United States Playing Card Company began creating exciting new brands featuring different, or non-standard, court cards in order to celebrate their new beginning and to keep up with the increasingly competitive market. “New Era No.46” was the first of these colourful new decks, based around European fashions with an Art Nouveau flavour, and was soon followed by “Circus No.47”, “Hustling Joe No.61” and “Ye Witches No.62”. These titles were listed in catalogues for a few years but today they have become very scarce to find.

Above: 'New Era No.46' playing cards first published in 1896 by the United States Playing Card Co., Cincinnati. Images courtesy Rod Starling.

Right: the box and back design. Click to zoom→

REFERENCES

Dawson, Tom & Judy: The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards, U.S. Games Systems Inc., 2000

All images on this page are from the collection of Rod Starling, author of "The Art and Pleasures of Playing Cards".