[Kevork] My Card Collection

[kevork]

While certain NPCCD decks continue to elude me, here's the red and green prototype for 2020. This also has the initials listed for Alexander Ming Chin. Unknown how many of these are in existence.

[kevork]

Some more Lotrek treasures have found their way into the dragon's den thanks to some wonderful collectors.

Here we see an unembossed and empty Golden Rule prototype tuck. Notice the black watercolor Lotrek applied to the leaves as he was trying different things out. He changed the tuck stock to black for the players edition an hour before release! The collectors edition for Year 2 will have a regal red stock like this but the foiling may be different.

I was also able to acquire an empty Arabesque brick box in blue. There is a red version of this that exists as well!

Perhaps it's time they send me to the asylum

[kevork]

I've been fascinated by copperplate etching/engraving techniques and it just so happened that Jackson did a flash sale earlier this week with the remainder of the copper plates he had from the time he made his Intaglio deck. He took private lessons with a master engraver and went through a ton of trial and error to create this deck. Here you see two plates used to make the 6oS and 6oH from Intaglio.

Each plate must be inked and surface wiped clean, and then paper pressed onto them with a rolling press, allowing for the ink in the grooves to imprint on the paper. Such printmaking can yield incredibly detailed results.

[Honeybee]

You must have been on Discord at the right time kev as I believe they sold out super quick

[kevork]

You must have been on Discord at the right time kev as I believe they sold out super quick

I'm never active on the discord and just so happened to be driving when a notification popped up on my Android Auto. The universe gave me a win that day. I missed the $20 Legal Tender legacy sale the subsequent day but overall, can't complain.

[kevork]

The oldest deck in my collection...for now. I have an older one on the way soon.

Vanity Fair (1895). USPCC's first transformation deck.

While the box isn't in the greatest shape, I was able to grab this deck for $145 with all cards (52 +1J) in relatively pristine condition, so I'm quite happy. I may try my hand at restoring the box at some point.

This deck has an incredible AoS as many antique decks tend to. This edition isn't gilded but it has an interesting pattern I don't have an explanation for. Perhaps somebody can offer their wisdom based on the picture below.

I've also included advertising that shows all four backs (2 designs in 2 different colors each). Mine came with the green variant of the masked backs.

[GandalfPC]

I have the red backs near the top. same box exactly, but gilded deck - makes me wonder if one of us has mismatched box

Pretty sure its me - found a red box online with 41x and Gold Edges on label

IMG_5271.jpeg (550.35 KiB) Viewed 11703 times

Should I ever find a nice box like that to rehome my deck I will send you my rather nice shape 41 standard box

[kevork]

I have the red backs near the top. same box exactly, but gilded deck - makes me wonder if one of us has mismatched box

Pretty sure its me - found a red box online with 41x and Gold Edges on label

Yup, the gilded decks had boxes that said Gold Edges on the label irrespective of the color of the box. Some white boxes also say "Gold Edges." There's no rhyme or reason to which color box has which backs either. I did only see red and white boxes, while the recent PCD reproductions opted for red and green boxes.

[atzenhofer]

Awesome deck!

I think the cards were used for a game with 36 or 32 cards, so some cards are in better condition. I guess the brighter edges are the number cards 2-5 from each suit?
I have a few used decks with the same wear pattern which only stands out if they're sorted and unshuffled.

[kevork]

Awesome deck!

I think the cards were used for a game with 36 or 32 cards, so some cards are in better condition. I guess the brighter edges are the number cards 2-5 from each suit?
I have a few used decks with the same wear pattern which only stands out if they're sorted and unshuffled.

Great insight! I looked through the cards and I was consistently able to identify the brighter cards as A/2-9, meaning 9-K/A were being used in a game. The closest guess would be Euchre, which is played with 9 through Ace. Awesome to have a visual depiction showing this deck was used for gameplay, as that's what it was meant for. Also crazy to imagine this deck has passed hands for the last 130 years.

[kevork]

Once Upon a Time, Elaine M. Lewis, 2020. A hand painted deck themed around fairy tales, in a limited edition of 50. Here's a small glimpse of some of the cards. I've noticed Elaine has shifted to very detailed colorations in her most recent assortment of decks compared to many of her earlier works, leading to even more marvel. Really happy with these <3

[acetofive]

Nice. One of my favorites of hers.

[kevork]

I recently acquired a book called "Orphan of Pimlico" c. 1876, which contains transformation playing cards that William Makepeace Thackeray had designed. Alas, no complete deck was ever realized through this process. Here you can find each of the 5 pages, including the associated descriptions. As always, please click on each image for the full resolution image if you would like to review the details of each drawing

You can find your own copy through AbeBooks.com, or purchase just the 10 pages from rubylane.com

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) was a British novelist, essayist, and illustrator best known for his sharp social satire and keen observations of Victorian society. Born in Calcutta, India, he was educated in England and originally intended to study law before turning to art and literature.

Thackeray’s most famous work is *Vanity Fair* (1847–1848), a sprawling panoramic novel that portrays the moral ambiguities and hypocrisies of early 19th-century English life through the ambitious and witty heroine Becky Sharp. His writing often balanced humor with moral reflection, exposing the pretensions of the upper and middle classes while maintaining a sympathetic understanding of human weakness.

Beyond *Vanity Fair*, his other notable works include *Pendennis*, *The History of Henry Esmond*, and *The Newcomes*. Thackeray was also a skilled caricaturist and often illustrated his own books, giving his work a distinctive visual personality.

In his lifetime, he was regarded as one of Charles Dickens’s chief literary rivals, admired for his irony, realism, and psychological depth.

Justly celebrated set of transformation playing cards designed by the famous 19th century British novelist, William Makepeace Thackeray, author of "Vanity Fair" among many famous works. Thackeray was also a favorite caricaturist for Punch and other British publications, and 13 years after his death, his daughter published a book entitled, "The Orphan of Pimlico" as a tribute to Thackeray's artistic abilities, which included these transformation cards.

In Orphan there were a total of 21 playing cards in 5 groups appearing on 5 pages of the book. Thackeray's daughter supplied comments about the cards, and those comments appear on on the opposite facing pages. Each of the 5 groups had a title: (i) "Playing-Cards"; (ii) "Clubs and Croziers"; (iii) "Shakespeare, Byron, Miss Smith, etc."; (iv) "List, List, O List!"; and (v) "La Raison du Plus Fort"

PLAYING-CARDS
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
I.
Assyrian bas-relief and battle-scene.  See Herodotus.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
II. and III.
American notes and reminiscences.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
IV.
Mr. GIBBON, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. JOHNSON.
The Playing-Cards were originally intended to form a completed pack, but only a certain number were ever finished. They amused my Father very much at the time he drew them. He was specially pleased with the likeness to Mr. Gibbon which he discovered in the three of spades. I think this is almost the trump card of the whole hand as it is dealt out here.

CLUBS AND CROZIERS
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
I.
This three of clubs represents Marlborough at the Battle of Malplaquet.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
II.
HENRY IV., PART II., ACT IV., SCENE IV.

P. Hen. — I never thought to hear you speak again.
K. Hen. — Thy wish was father, Harry, to that thought.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
III.
We have a poem in my Father’s handwriting which seems applicable here:—

   The apes of Brazils,
   When afflicted with ills,
   Retire to the Hills.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
IV.
MACBETH, ACT I., SCENE I.

Thunder and Lightning. Enter three Witches.

Happily St. Augustin, with his crozier, is not St. Patrick.
He has not quite exorcised witches out of the country,
nor have the contents of their caldron suffered as yet.

SHAKSPEARE, BYRON, MISS SMITH, &c.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
I.
MACBETH, ACT I., SCENE III.

MACBETH.—Say from whence
You owe this strange intelligence, or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such prophetic greeting?—Speak, I charge you!
                    [Witches vanish.]

This might be Macready himself in the character of Macbeth.
Banquo follows the retreating witches with a timid glance. The
caldron, the bellows, and Macbeth’s little dog, give great reality to the
awful scene. Observe the thistle of Scotland sprouting from the heath.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
II.
IN MY COTTAGE.

Captain Brown’s admiration for Miss Smith’s performance needs no comment.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
III.
  . . . now will I to my couch, altho’ to rest
  Is almost wronging such a night as this . . .

  . . . all is gentle: nought
  Stirs rudely but congenial with the night;
  Whatever walks is gliding like a spirit.
  The tinklings of some vigilant guitars
  Of sleepless lovers to a wakeful mistress.
    . . . the dark
  Phosphoric of the oar, or rapid twinkle
  Of the far lights of skimming gondolas.
                      Byron, Marino Faliero.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
IV.

The King is counting his money, the Queen is lunching in the
parlour, the audacious Blackbird is in the very act of flying away with
the Laundry-maid’s nose. . . .

LIST, LIST, O LIST!
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
I.
DR. BIRCH’S ESTABLISHMENT.

HERE is a tragic episode from Dr. Birch’s well-known establishment; sitting above is the intellectual first form absorbed in its studies, down below are the boys who go up next. John the footman seems accustomed to his duties, and the Doctor is distinguishing himself with all the generous energy which belongs to the high calling he pursues, and to the spirited system by which youth is led to love literature and to respect those who are set in authority.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
II.
HAMLET, Act I., Scene II.

Ham. — Pale or red?
Hor. — Nay, very pale.
Ham. — And fixed his eyes on you?
Hor. — Most constantly.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
III.
MAZOURKA.

The music still plays as my Father heard it, and the little Polish men almost stamp out of the paper.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
IV.
HUSH!

. . . . The Red Indians, on the contrary, are advancing with the most extraordinary precautions. ‘Are those Indians and warriors so terrible as our Indians and warriors were?’ says one of the ‘Roundabout Papers.’ These Indians are doubtless of a tribe belonging to the prairies of my Father’s favourite Leather Stocking.

LA RAISON DU PLUS FORT
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
I.
THE BATTLE OF OLTENITZA.

PLEASE to observe Omar Pacha and his Staff taking observations from the neighbouring heights.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
II.
THE BONNY HOUSE O’ AIRLIE.

The Lady look’d over the Castle wa’,
And oh! she sighed sairly
When she saw Argyll and a’ his men
Come to plunder the bonny House o’ Airlie.

‘Come down to me,’ said proud Argyll,
‘Come down and kiss me fairly,
Or I swear by the sword I hold in my hand
I winna leave a stane in Airlie.’

‘I’ll no come down, ye proud Argyll,
Until ye speak mair fairly,
Tho’ ye swear by the sword ye hold in your hand
Ye winna leave a stane in Airlie.

‘Had my ain gudeman been at his hame,*
But he’s awa’ wi’ Charlie,
There’s no a Campbell in a’ Argyll
Dare have trod a foot on the bonnie green o’ Airlie.’ . . . .
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
III.

The readers of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ will recognise a scene out of that celebrated book. Little Eva is in the corner turning away in tears.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
IV.
PIROUETTE.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
V.

My Father once said that one of the achievements in life which had given him most unalloyed satisfaction was the introduction of Napoleon’s waistcoat, as it appears in this battle scene, surrounded by the weather-beaten faces of the Old Guard.
⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺
July, 1640: Lord Airlie being away with Charles I., and Lord Ogilvy imprisoned in the dungeon of St. Andrews.

[acetofive]

Thanks for the high res scans.

[kevork]

Thanks for the high res scans.

I tried my best to take close-up photos since the book is rather large at 12-5/8" x 10-1/4" (32.1cm × 26.0cm). The images on rubylane were far too compressed so I definitely wanted higher resolution images to be preserved online!

What appears to be scans can be found here: https://www.wopc.co.uk/transformation/thackeray

[Honeybee]

Thanks for all those links kev. Tempting. Abebooks has me confused thanks to that all black leather offering which looks too good to be true, especially when all the other listed first editions show those red and white boards and only a leather spine.
Buying a book would certainly seem better value than buying just 10 pages from rubylane

How is the binding of yours, not that I would be much help to you but I do love repairing books (a librarian was one of my careers)

[kevork]

Thanks for all those links kev. Tempting. Abebooks has me confused thanks to that all black leather offering which looks too good to be true, especially when all the other listed first editions show those red and white boards and only a leather spine.
Buying a book would certainly seem better value than buying just 10 pages from rubylane

How is the binding of yours, not that I would be much help to you but I do love repairing books (a librarian was one of my careers)

That's so cool you did that!

If I had to guess, that all-black leather one appears to be completely rebound. The book was originally bound using gutta percha as the adhesive for the spine, so a lot of the original books tended to have the pages loosen over time. Given how intact mine is, I'm led to believe it was rebound. What's interesting is only the top of my book is gilded, while the side and bottom are not. It wouldn't make sense for the gilding to have rubbed off given the book cover protrudes passed the pages, but perhaps in its original state, that wasn't the case.

I bought mine from the UK so it came smelling quite damp. I've placed it in a plastic bin with a cup of baking soda to let it deodorize.

Here's what I think the original spine may have looked like:

[Bradius1]

I used abebooks way back in the early days of the internet picking up some really rare books. I understand it goes back even before the internet as a resource for bookstores to find books for folks, but not sure how it worked back in those early days.

[kevork]

Picked up nine cards from the Harlequin Series No. 2 (N220, American Card Catalog by Jefferson Burdick, 1939) by Kinney Bros., dated 1889. These were part of a tobacco promotion by the Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company, where you collected insert cards from their cigarette packs and could redeem them for a full deck. The cards were printed as color lithographs and have a really interesting style and color palette that stand out even after more than 130 years. The cards themselves feel thin and flimsy, so likely not from a playing card manufacturer. If anyone has more insights to share about this series, please do.

Condition-wise they’re definitely a bit worn, with what looks like minor water staining, but I can’t complain. I ended up winning the auction by just 55 cents and paid $57 total including tax and shipping. Considering that a complete deck with its original wrapper sold just last month for $960 before buyer’s premium, this felt like a solid deal for a partial set.

For anyone curious, here’s a decent reference with photos showing some of the tobacco insert cards and the playing card designs: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cate ... inney_Bros

I also found some pdf links to the aforementioned reference catalog here: https://vintagenonsports.com/hobby-resources/

[Dezza-G]

I may be new here, but the legend of your Lotrek collection has reached my ears many months ago, Kevork! A monumental feat and an incredibly impressive one, to say the least. Kudos to your dedication

[kevork]

Following up from my previous post, here are some examples of the insert cards that would've come in the Kinney Tobacco cigarette packs. These were made from thick, yet fragile, cardboard. I didn't realize how small they were until they were in my hands! I added a size comparison since I lucked out in having the 4oD from both the insert and the corresponding playing card.

[kevork]

Yuri Nozdrin is an artist who focuses on etchings, unique books, calligraphy and paintings.
I recently acquired an Ex Libris playing card print by him not long before Lotrek announced his Ex Libris series, which I found to be quite a cool coincidence.

I reached out to Yuri on his website directly to inquire about his playing card deck to no avail, but I'll be on the lookout should one pop up. You can find pictures of the cards here as well as on his site.

Some of the prints, like this one, are not found in his playing card deck, likely meaning he created more than 52 unique playing card designs throughout his career.