War Profiteers playing cards
“War Profiteers” playing cards, USA, c. 2004.
The publication of the Iraqi Most Wanted pack in 2003 promoted many other packs of “most wanted” individuals – politicians, media figures or financiers (e.g. Wall Street Most Wanted), who promoted the Gulf War (2003-2011). This is one such pack which aims to expose the real war criminals – individuals and institutions that “stack the deck against democracy in the rigged game of global power” and profit from endless war. Each suit represents a category of war profiteers: spades represent oil, gas and energy companies; hearts – US government officials; clubs – military contractors; diamonds – heads of industry, finance, and media. There is 1 joker (George W. Bush Jr.) and two extra cards. The backs of the cards are identical to the original Iraqi Most Wanted pack.
Above: “War Profiteers” playing cards, USA, c. 2004.
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.
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