UnitedCardists.com - The forum for Cardistry, Magic, Custom Decks and All Things Playing Cards.

Further uploads will have to wait until I set up my new printer/scanner. I should have waited to disconnect the old one before realizing I needed to clear more space for the new one.

I hope to get around to it this weekend, but time has a way of slipping by...

Earlier I shared the Jugendstil Art Nouveau deck by Ditha Moser and pointed out that it was originally published as a Tarock deck. I realize I should have expanded further on that. From WOPC:

The earliest Tarot decks originated in Italy in the fifteenth century, with Italian suit symbols (cups, coins, clubs or batons and swords). However the game was very popular elsewhere and tarots with French suit signs (hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades), usually called "Tarok" or "Tarock", appeared around 1750 and which are now mainly produced in Austria. The four-suited pack with court cards King, Queen, Cavalier and Page follow the same arrangement except that the Italian suit symbols were replaced with French ones. The numeral cards were sometimes reduced so that the pack contained a total of 54 cards, instead of the full 78 cards.

So, there are decks still being produced that have 22 trumps like a Tarot deck, but they have abandoned the figures we associate with the Major Arcana (The Fool, The Magician, etc.). WOPC continues:

In the 18th century there was a vogue for animals or hunting scenes on the Trump cards, and later on mythological and literary subjects became popular. By the beginning of the 19th century it was possible to find almost any series of pictures on the Trumps.

I don't have any decks of this type in either my Tarot or playing card collections. But I do have two decks that were originally published in this form, the aforementioned Ditha Moser deck (see trumps) and this one, based on the Alan Tarot.

World Bridge, Argio Orell, Modiano, 1953

Here's a whimsical deck by Aviva Davids Bahar. Nederlanden van 1845 was a Dutch insurance company. The court cards are Heer, Vrouw, and Boer.

Nederlanden van 1845, Van Genechten, 1965

That ones a blast

This design is most often seen as an advertising deck, so I was happy to find an unbranded version. The cards are long (4 in) and between bridge and poker cards in width.

Young Men, Izumi Tamai, Nintendo, 1960s

A Holy Grail has arrived! This is one more of my early Pinterest fixations. I think another collector may have shared this deck before, but if so I can't recall who it was.

Coopexim, Léon Urbanski, KZWP Poland, 1965

Nice isn’t going to cut it for this one - I’m going with “farntastic”

Now for another Kickstarter reward that just arrived: 1001 Nights.

Here is the Aurora colorway, Qubba Edition, featuring one-way courts without foil or gilding. The diptych Joker called for a slightly different layout than usual.

I like this one much better. While it's cool to see both one-way and two-way versions of the same characters, foil makes the art really pop. I pledged for one of each because I wanted both styles of tuck box, but with hindsight I wish I had gotten both Signature editions, or even just this one.

Nocturne colorway, Signature Edition, gilded with foil

Here are the tuck boxes of the two 1001 Nights variants above.

I really should stop being enticed by fancy tuck boxes and focus on the cards. But here is my tuck display shelf.

I'm running low on vintage decks to scan. Here's one that has been shared before. I am happy to have a first edition with the full indices.

Hermès, A.M. Cassandre, Draeger Frères, 1948

Here's another one I think people are aware of, a delightful double-deck set packaged with a custom set of dice.

Graciela Rodo Boulanger, Matthieu Lithographes, c. 1970

Scanning the Cassandre deck reminded me I have one other deck from Draeger Frères. Originally released as a branded edition for Air France, it is bridge-sized and has gold edges. Interestingly, the left indices are both French and English, while the right indices are just French, and the aces are numbered 1 in the French tradition.

Banco, Draeger Frères, c. 1952

I think the warranty on my brain has expired. Twice in the space of a week, I have ordered the wrong version of an item. One was a doll-related purchase; I ordered a duplicate. Relevant to this forum, I wanted a 4-deck carat case but accidentally ordered a 3-deck case.

Another order has been placed, and when it arrives I will show you all my displays.

I’ve had same trouble

If you still have the original packaging you can bring brain back to place of purchase and get replacement free.

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find the box mine came in - sure hope my mom didn’t toss it…

The tag on mine said “Replacement parts at equal or less value” so no improvement there.

GandalfPC wrote: ↑Thu Apr 17, 2025 9:36 am I’ve had same trouble

If you still have the original packaging you can bring brain back to place of purchase and get replacement free.

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find the box mine came in - sure hope my mom didn’t toss it…

"I have some bad news for you son"

Jocu is a close second to Thirdway at the top of my list of favorite deck creators. Both exemplify what got me interested in Tarot deck collecting. Gio uses a lot of the same occult symbolism, while Anthony and Alessandra spotlight the folklore that speaks to me the most.

Here's the latest from Jocu's Inner Circle: Green Man Four Seasons

Time to share a few more promotional decks.

El Al, Jean David, Lion Playing Cards, 1969

I really like this deck, which appears to have taken inspiration from the one above.

Icelandair, Thorbjörn Ingason, Islenska, 2010

Here's a promotional deck with no obvious connection to its brand. The original deck was made for the French market in 1992 and was a gift with purchase of the liquor.

Four Roses Bourbon, Cartamundi, 1990s

I believe this is the last of my "vintage" decks for the time being. Never fear, I will continue sharing new acquisitions, be they old or new.

I don't know the date of these designs. These were featured on a series of double-deck sets released by the company Pomegranate Communications, with back designs inspired by different artists. Their website does have playing cards for sale, but their current offerings have artists' works on the faces as well. (I need that Charley Harper deck! My sister introduced me to his art and my husband and I love his bird designs, especially his cardinals.)

William Morris: Autumn Flowers, Oky Sulistio

I forgot that I have a few double-deck sets that are separate from my main collection. I'll try to round those up this weekend.

Here's a sneak peek, though my set isn't in as nice a box, just a regular plastic one. Purchased in the 1980s, quite possibly the first decks I ever bought for myself.

I have only a few singles, and two of them happen to be from these decks! I saw them on eBay and thought the artwork was nice enough to buy a pair of cards. Any idea who made them?

It's a Hallmark set. I don't know the date or the artist.

The WWPCM page on Hallmark has several pages of card backs linked at the top. In addition to this ornate variation on standard English courts, there are two earlier court patterns that I will also share.

Here's an earlier set of courts with similar jokers. I bought this set because I like chickens.

And here's the oldest Hallmark pattern. I like the many-armed joker. This back reminds me of the footbridge on the Charles River near Harvard University (but it's meant to be Paris).

felicityk wrote: ↑Wed Apr 30, 2025 10:38 am I forgot that I have a few double-deck sets that are separate from my main collection. I'll try to round those up this weekend.

Here's a sneak peek, though my set isn't in as nice a box, just a regular plastic one. Purchased in the 1980s, quite possibly the first decks I ever bought for myself.

They have an attractiver fairytale look to them