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War Profiteers playing cards

Published October 30, 2022 Updated October 30, 2022

“War Profiteers” playing cards, USA, c. 2004.

2004 USA Most Wanted Political Wartime

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.

War Profiteers playing cards, USA, c. 2004 War Profiteers playing cards, USA, c. 2004 War Profiteers playing cards, USA, c. 2004

Above: “War Profiteers” playing cards, USA, c. 2004.

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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.

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