Bicycle Seconds
Bicycle 808 Seconds playing cards manufactured by The United States Playing Card Co, Cincinnati and New York, USA, with offices also in Windsor, Canada and London, England.
Bicycle Seconds, c.1928
The United States Playing Card Company
Imported into Argentina by Palmer & Cia, c.1928
Left: box (front & back) from deck of 'Bicycle 808 Seconds' playing cards manufactured by The United States Playing Card Co, Cincinnati and New York, USA, with offices also in Windsor, Canada and London, England.
The deck was exported to Argentina and a 50 Centavos green tax band can be seen affixed around the box. The tax band relates to Law No. 11.252 which was in force between 1924-1943.
Above: the last type of standard Bicycle Ace of Spades, which is still in use today, albeit with minor modifications. The ace of hearts shows the brown importation tax stamp and the name of the importing agents Palmer & Cia who were successors to Donnell & Palmer, c.1928.
Above: U.S.P.C.C. ‘Bicycle Seconds’ box, c.1895, which contains a Russell & Morgan Printing Co Bicycle deck. Image courtesy Jesse Hobbs.
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
View ArticlesCurator and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.
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