North America

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Jock1971
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Re: North America

Unread post by Jock1971 »

Michael Scotts` restoration of Andrew Dougherty`s Triplicates from 1876
A brief History of Andrew Dougherty Playing Card Company 1848-1930*

Andrew Dougherty was a hard working Irish immigrant that used his own savings to start a small printing house and playing card manufacturing company. Although his cards were rough at first, his persistence and hard work led to his company becoming one of the most influential manufacturers of his time.

First Edition Wrapper,Tuck,Back,Ace & Best Bower
First Edition.jpg
In 1872 he built a manufacturing plant located on Centre Street in New York, just a block away from the Brooklyn Bridge. With the new building Dougherty`s innovation shined through as he changed the playing card industry. His playing cards from the Centre St. factory had double heads and featured rounded corners. Both of these breakthroughs were advertised on the back of his famous eagle wrappers.

Second Edition Wrapper,Tuck,Back,Ace & Joker
Second Edition.jpg
In 1876 Dougherty was awarded a U.S. Patent for his triplicate cards. The triplicate was a miniature card placed in the top left and bottom right corners. It was a revolution in the way cards could be held and viewed. The decorative ace of spades and the wrapper for the first No.18 triplicate deck showed a fanned hand of cards with the triplicate miniature indices viewable on each card. The first deck of triplicate cards came with a best bower, which was later replaced by a joker.
Spades & Diamonds.jpg
The only competition that Dougherty faced with the triplicates was the Squeezers cards from the New York Consolidated Card Co. The patent that the NYCCC acquired for the squeezers cards was for the modern indices that we see now on all playing cards. Dougherty printed his triplicates until 1883 when he was issued another patent for his indicator cards. Like the squeeezers, the indicators featured a number and letter indices printed outside the border.
Clubs & Hearts.jpg
Andrew Dougherty passed away at the age of 78 in 1905. His sons ran his business for two years following his death and then sold the company to the United States Playing Card Company in 1907. The USPCC continued to run the A. Dougherty manufacturing company until 1930 when they merged it with the New York Consolidated-Dougherty Card Co. Inc. They ran consolidated-Dougherty as a division of USPCC until 1962 when they retired the label, bringing all labels and decks under the USPCC umbrella.

*Text taken from the Kickstarter Project Page.

Thanks for looking at my cards :D -jase-
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Re: North America

Unread post by Mike Ratledge »

It's nice to see a few of these classics reproduction decks, frankly. If you want to get an original Triplicate deck you can spend a pretty penny, actually several hundred dollars depending on condition, whether the deck is complete, etc. I don't know why, but this specific deck seems to show up often as 51/52 or even 50,missing a card or two.

That makes the deck tough to value. If you are missing the 3oD it's not really terrible, but a face or the AoS would cut the value significantly. AoS missing is usually 50% because it's considered the reference card for any vintage or antique deck.

PostScript: mine arrived today with all five of Victor Mauger deck repros
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

Great posting Jase. Did you splice some images together to make the 5 cards across? I can only fit 4 in a line on my scanner.

I don't care for the backs on the Trips but I love the faces. Have a deck coming to me through a trade.
The competition and agreement between those two companies, over indices, is a great story.

Thanks to Michael Scott we don't have to worry about the high cost of the original, eh Mike?
I love facsimiles. :ugdance:
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Re: North America

Unread post by Jock1971 »

dazzleguts wrote: Did you splice some images together to make the 5 cards across? I can only fit 4 in a line on my scanner.
Hiya Dazzelguts, Yes i spliced these together. When i began posting i didn`t have a clue how to add images(as you know :lol: ) and throught time adding decks i`ve been frustrated with not being able to show more ,as like you i can only fit 4 poker or 5 bridge cards wide 2 high on my scanner. through a lot of experimenting with my limit knowledge and resources , i`ve managed to start getting whole suits onto an image through resizing and splicing.

I personally love reproduction decks as well, not only because of the high price tag of the originals, but of the rarity of some of the original as well. for example only 3 "Knavery of the rump" deck (see the england thread)are known to exist, but thanks to Harry Margary`s reproduction it is available for modern day collectors.

Glad you both like the post, am hoping to post the Mauger decks by Michael scott when i get them through.
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Re: North America

Unread post by Mike Ratledge »

dazzleguts wrote:Thanks to Michael Scott we don't have to worry about the high cost of the original, eh Mike?
I love facsimiles. :ugdance:
We just got started on the authorized reproduction of Dondorf #1000 "Hundertjahrkart", dazz. I can't wait to see how it comes out with modern technology, perfect registration & alignment - not to mention real metallic gold ink as opposed to gold color. Hmmm... Should be fun, and illuminating for a lot of the collectors that never saw the OG deck from 1933... ;)
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Re: North America

Unread post by Jock1971 »

Michael Scotts restoration of the 1876 Mauger Quadruplicates.

The Centennial Exposition deck was printed in 1876 and is thought to be the first deck to commemorate a fair.They were made in conjunction with the Worlds Fair in Philadelphia. The deck also commemorates the 100 year anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence.
The Three Mauger Replica Editions
Mauger Replica Edition.jpg
Victor E. Mauger was born in England and emigrated to New York in 1855,Where he started a business importing metal goods.Around 1870 he also began importing playing cards from the Chas. Goodall & Son company from England. The Goodall company began making special decks with a unique Ace of Spades for their American decks. By 1873 Mauger started to manufacture his own brand of playing cards to supplement his supply and he dropped Goodall altogether in 1876 due ti high import duties.
The Two USPCC Editions
USPCC Editions.jpg
This deck had several unique details that set them apart from other American decks of the period. They were slightly larger measuring 90mm x 62mm as opposed to the standard poker size. The decorative Ace of Spades has the dates 1776 & 1876 commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the signing of Declaration of Independence. It also has the Latin words "NUMQUAM RETRORSUM" which translates to "No Revoke" or "Never Retreat".
Spades & Hearts.jpg
Indices were just begining to be used. Andrew Dougherty had patented in 1876 for his Triplicates and the New York Consolidated company had a patent the same year for their Squeezers. Mauger wanted to use indices on his cards so he opted to put them in all four corners making them Quadruplicates. He went a step further and like many popular European decks made the pips four colours with Black Spades, Red Hearts, Yellow Diamonds and Blue Clubs.
Clubs & Diamonds.jpg
All text taken from the Kickstarter campaign page.
Thanks for looking at my cards :D -jase-
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

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New Era Concave Sides
by the Standard Playing Card Company
1929/30

sConcave back_box.jpg
sConcave back_box.jpg (88.33 KiB) Viewed 7122 times
The New Era Concave Sides deck was patented March 5, 1929 by the Standard Playing Card Company of Chicago (SPCC). SPCC was one of the companies that became the original United States Playing Card Company (USPCC) in 1894, but operated independently until being merged by USPCC into the Consolidated-Dougherty Co. in 1930. This particular deck was imported into England by L G Sloan Ltd. of London - sole importers of these cards.
sConcave spades.jpg
This design was a short lived novelty as the cards were difficult to handle and were not popular. Most of these decks were made in 1929, but a few have been found to have 1930 on the aces. This particular deck has the 1929 patent date on it's ace.
sConcave hearts.jpg
Each card is standard sized bridge or whist, in width and length (89 mm x 58 mm), but narrows to 48 mm at the centre.
sConcave clubs.jpg
The cards have a linen finish and the faces are USPCC standard, except for conforming to the concave shape. Another unusual aspect of this deck is that the edges are tinted a warm yellow. The tint becomes hard to discern after the cards have been used as these have. A matching deck of the same art deco back design, but in blue and red colours, had blue edges.
sConcave diamonds.jpg
You can find this deck in The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards, on page 299 as # 024 of the Oddities chapter.[/color]
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Re: North America

Unread post by Jock1971 »

Rad-Bridge R441 by Andrew Dougherty circa 1910.
IMG_0001.jpg
Listed in the Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards as AD45. A special brand made for and sold only by Radcliffe & Co, New York and London, a stationery chain.
IMG_0002.jpg
In some instances the Dougherty name appears on the Ace of Spades, while Radcliffe was used on others. Rad-Bridge was always used on the jokers, There is also a Rad-Bridge legend inside the Ace of Diamonds.
IMG_0003.jpg
Thanks for looking at my cards :D -jase-
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Re: North America

Unread post by Jock1971 »

Sutherland-Brown Playing Cards , dated 1977.
1. Spades.jpg
These first edition cards by artist Laura Sutherland-Brown, had a limited production of 3,000 and were sold through the New Yorker Magazine and privately to collectors in 1977. The cards are slightly larger than normal with dimensions of 102mm x 72mm and has a red bordered back.
2. Hearts.jpg
3. Clubs.jpg
A second edition of these cards were produced in 1983 and was titled Palladin Parlor & Playing Cards. A much better quality pack of cards ,these were standard poker size and have a yellow bordered back.
4. Diamonds.jpg
Thanks for looking at my cards :D -jase-
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

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Built To Last
Grateful Dead promotion
1989


This one is for Walrus.

This deck of cards was originally released in October of 1989, around halloween, as part of a complete package that included a cassette or cd of the Grateful Dead album "Built To Last". Half the band's songs from the early '70s seem to be about card games and gamblers, so it makes sense that they would use cards as a promotional item. The package was even made in the shape of a giant tuck box that was modeled after the Tally-Ho design. I don't have the box but here is an image of it.

dead in a deck.jpg
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The band first formed in 1965 and "Built To Last" was the 21st album by the group, and their last studio album. Their chemistry and energy apparently peaked in the late 1980s.
Built to Last aces_back.jpg
I believe the cards were designed by a C.D. Kelach, from his signature on the back of the cards - see above at the lower right. The courts are all skulls and the indices for the hearts all feature a rose. Skulls and roses paired together were a common symbology for this band.
Built to Last spades_hearts.jpg
From a Wikipedia article on the Grateful Dead:
"The rose is an attribute of Saint Valentine who according to one legend was martyred by decapitation. Accordingly, in Rome, at the church dedicated to him, the observance of his feast day included the display of his skull surrounded by roses."
Built to Last clubs_diamonds.jpg
Here are some example pip cards along with the jokers. One of the jokers is a photograph of the band from that time.
Built to Last pips_jokers.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grateful_Dead
[/color]
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

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The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Card Deck
Marshall McLuhan
1969

DEW in box small.jpg
Here is a funny, often punny, deck of cards dedicated to creative thinking. It was released as part of Marshall McLuhan’s “DEW-Line Newsletter.” The newsletter was produced from 1968 to 1970, put together in New York by Eric McLuhan and Eugene Schwartz from copy mailed to them by McLuhan.
DEW courts spades small.jpg
DEW pips spades small.jpg
Published through the Human Development Corp. the “DEW-Line Newsletter” came in different forms, such as a record or slides, often including pre-released chapters from McLuhan books.
DEW courts hearts small.jpg
DEW pips hearts small.jpg
The newsletter was initiated by New York publisher Eugene Schwartz, at the height of “McLuhan-mania.” The cards were designed by McLuhan, his eldest son Eric, Harley Parker and George Thompson.
DEW courts clubs small.jpg
DEW pips clubs small.jpg
The card deck was intended to stimulate problem-solving and thinking, in a manner that later came to be known as "thinking-outside-the-box". The instructions direct the player to think of a personal or business problem, shuffle the card deck, select a card and then apply its message to the problem. (Unfortunately my deck is missing the instructions.)
DEW courts diamonds small.jpg
DEW pips diamonds small.jpg
The deck reflects McLuhan’s vision of the artist in a time of rapid social and technological change:

“I think of art, at its most significant, as a DEW line, a Distant Early Warning system that can always be relied on to tell the old culture what is beginning to happen to it,” - from his 1964 book "Understanding Media".
DEW jokers_back small.jpg
The actual Distant Early Warning Line was a Cold War construct. There were three lines in all and the main one Stretched 3,000 miles across arctic Canada, at approximately the 69th parallel, as a chain of 63 integrated radar and communication stations. Completed in 1957, the DEW Line was intended to provide advance warning of imminent air attacks on Canada and the United States, and was operational into the late 1980s. A few of the stations were kept and upgraded to become part of the North Warning System.[/color]
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

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Arrowhead for Casino Regina
First printed 1995


Originally printed by Gemaco in 1995, under license from the Benjamin Greenfield Corporation, the face designs of these cards have been used by many First Nations casinos. This particular deck was made for Casino Regina. Regina is the capital city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The deck consists of 52 cards, 2 jokers and an information card.

The jokers are a blend of coyote, fox and wolf...in the Native American belief that many lessons are taught through the coyote as trickster.

Arrowhead jokerbackECace small.jpg
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Each court card of the Arrowhead deck graphically illustrates the Wampum, Amulets, hair styles, textile patterns, and weapons of one of many First Nations from throughout North America. The designs also remain true to traditional courts, using the correct head, hand, and staff/weapon positions found in most playing cards. The artwork is by G & H Assoc.

Each suit is dedicated to, and based upon, a particular region's Nations:

Spades: - Northeastern Algonquian
Hearts - Southwestern
Arrowhead spades_hearts small.jpg
Clubs - Northwestern/Great Basin
Diamonds - Great Plains
Arrowhead clubs_diamonds small.jpg
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Re: North America (wap)

Unread post by BlueToy »

Are the DEW decks hard to come by and expensive? Because I'm really digging them. :D
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

I bought mine off ebay for about $25. Don't see them come around often used. You can buy a set from his son for $65. He has them in all the colours - green, red, black, blue, or brown - and the instruction sheet is included. Here is the site. You have to scroll down close to the bottom of the page to get the cards.
http://ericmcluhan.com/bookshop/
If you do get them I'd love to see the instruction sheet - posted here would be great. I'll be gone for a month so perhaps I'll see them here when I get back.
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Re: North America

Unread post by BlueToy »

dazzleguts wrote:I bought mine off ebay for about $25. Don't see them come around often used. You can buy a set from his son for $65. He has them in all the colours - green, red, black, blue, or brown - and the instruction sheet is included. Here is the site. You have to scroll down close to the bottom of the page to get the cards.
http://ericmcluhan.com/bookshop/
If you do get them I'd love to see the instruction sheet - posted here would be great. I'll be gone for a month so perhaps I'll see them here when I get back.
Thanks for the link! WIll have to save up for that $65 one - that's not cheap!
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Re: North America

Unread post by Jock1971 »

Marguerite Plying Cards #130. Produced by A Dougherty c.1910 (Hochman AD40)
The cards come in a 2 part telescopic box which opens sideways, the cards are gilded with a Linoid finish and measures 57mm x 89mm (2.5 in x 3.5 in)
IMG_0001.jpg
All information provided by the Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards.
A fine quality whist size card originally made with special backs often a floral design. Eventually the brand was changed to make Narrow named cards to compete with Congress #606W made by U.S.P.C. The cards were similar in most respects to this braand ,which is not suprising as they were, by then, the same company.
IMG_0002.jpg
The Narrow named backs were usually flowers, but Scenic views, People and Animals were also made. Some of the titles had several variations and most came in more than one colour combination.
IMG_0003.jpg
Thanks for looking at my cards :D -jase-
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Re: North America

Unread post by Jock1971 »

TWA advertising deck printed by Brown & Bigelow. Date mid 1960`s
IMG_0001.jpg
NU-VUE (Hochman MSN21) was one of Brown & Bigelows brands during the 1960`s and featured "The Modern eye-saving concept in playing cards". The cards have "Redi-slip" finish and are Germ-proofed by COROBEX.
IMG_0002.jpg
IMG_0003.jpg
Thanks for looking at my cards :D -jase-
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Re: North America

Unread post by Jock1971 »

MOHEGAN SUN Casino Cards by GEMACO cancelled with a hole through center of the pack.
IMG_0001.jpg
These unique cards created exclusively for Mohegan Sun depict early twentieth century Mohegans wearing authentic regalia. The jokers show the Mohegan Mask worn by Chief Harold Tantaquidgeon (1904-1989) and Chief Matahga (1862-1952) to frighten away evil spirits, and the court cards feature Native Americans who were well known throughout Indian country for their traditional ways.
IMG_0002.jpg
Spades (winter) King-Chief Matahga/ Burrill Fielding 1862-1952
Queen-Loretta Fielding Shultz 1900-1982
Jack-Roland B. Harris 1903-1957
Hearts (spring) King-Osgood Fielding 1894-1946
Queen-Jennie Meech 1885-1963
Jack-Lloyd Gray 1892-1957
IMG_0003.jpg
Clubs (autumn) King-Chief Occum/ Lemuel Fielding 1859-1928
Queen-Sarah Teecomwas 1812-1898
Jack-Roscoe Skeesucks 1884-1950
Diamonds (summer) King-John Tantaquidgeon 1865-1949
Queen-Myrtice Fielding 1892-1953
Jack- Peegee Uncas/ Julian Harris 1872 1941

Thanks for looking at my cards :D -jase-
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

I've got to look for these ones. They are cousins to the "Arrowhead" deck.
Thanks for showing them Jase.
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

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Unisex
Early 1980s


This is a rare Canadian deck of non-standard playing cards which was printed by Richmond of Toronto. It was published by the Unisex Playing Card Co. of Scarborough (a part of the city of Toronto in the province of Ontario), a publishing company which was probably created specifically for this deck. It features “unisex” designs on double ended court cards and jokers, with a male figure at one end and a female figure at the other.
Unisex_spadeshearts_small.jpg
The trademark proceedings for the card designs, by Benincasa Designs of Ontario, were apparently abandoned in 1982. The feel of the graphics is very 1960s so these may have been originally drawn closer to that time, and only actualized in the 1980s, but that is pure speculation on my part.
Unisex_clubs_diamonds_small.jpg
The 52 card deck, plus Jokers, also includes 2 extra cards which give a brief history of playing cards. Here is a description taken from the Canada section of the history:

"Same suits with face card changes to reflect today's values without losing historical charm.
--Royalty card has King and Queen as equals - replaces King in old deck.
--Nobility card is second in value - replaces Queen
--Gentry card also has male and female - replaces the Jack"
Unisex_jokers_pips_small.jpg
The cards are bridge sized, measuring 90mm x 59mm. The original box, which I was lucky to find with it, has a circular opening on one side that allows the central design of the ace of spades card to be seen.

Here is the box with a card back. The other side of the box has a card back glued to it. The top flap of the box is printed with the text "We've changed the names not the games!", probably referring to the changed court card names.
[/color]
Unisex_box_back_small.jpg
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

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Gong Hee Fot Choy
U.S. Games Systems. Inc.
c. 1982
(originally 1935)
GongHeeFotChoy_box_small .jpg
GongHeeFotChoy_box_small .jpg (95.93 KiB) Viewed 4768 times
This deck references Chinese culture, but only indirectly, and is really just an example of someone exploiting a culture(s) that is not their own. It's the product of Margaret Ward, a mystic and world traveler who spent much of her life chasing down the arts and traditions of fortune telling in almost every country. The Gong Hee Fot Choy fortune telling system (which insists on calling itself a game) was originally published in 1935, and she describes it as a synthesis of the many divination systems she came across in her various travels, especially of China. The Chinese name means "Greeting of Riches," but she doesn't offer much of a reason of why the name was chosen, except to say that it gives "a small token of my appreciation of these marvelous people."
GongHeeFotChoySpadesDiamonds_small.jpg
The suits have a general theme running through them and you can clearly see why Ward says that the odds in her system are three to one in favor of good over bad.

"The HEARTS represent LOVE and FRIENDSHIP; anything of a personal nature.

The DIAMONDS represent FORTUNE and RICHES, and papers of any kind.

The CLUBS represent LUCK, WISDOM and BUSINESS.

The SPADES represent the UNPLEASANT THINGS of life."
GongHeeFotChoyClubsHearts_small.jpg
The deck featured here is actually completely secondary to the system, which was designed to be able to work with any standard deck of playing cards. The key to the system is the instruction book, which contains a few quick instructions on how to lay out a tableau, and dozens of pages about how to read each card in each position. Included with the book is a folded paper poster for laying out the cards. It shows thirty-two rectangles, called houses, each of which corresponds to a particular card in the layout.
GongHeeFotChoyJokersBackAce_small.jpg
This information was found at http://www.guntheranderson.com/cards/feb97/gong.htm where Mr. Anderson provides much more detail on the book, and the divination system it describes, than I have included here.
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flashcards
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Re: North America

Unread post by flashcards »

Interesting. The name implies a Chinese themed deck while all the courts (except perhaps the hearts and King of Diamonds) show Japanese style clothing and hair styles.
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Re: North America

Unread post by dazzleguts »

Yes, I agree that's puzzling, and that's part of the reason this deck is in the North American thread. On the website I linked to in the posting, Gunther Anderson mentions a similarity to Piatnik's Japanese costume deck. He mentions "George R. Bennett's Chinese designs on the court cards and joker", but I couldn't tell if he was referring to the Piatnik deck or the Gong Hee Fot Choy? Neither of which fully applies really.

*edit*
Sorry I read too fast that first time. Have amended my post accordingly.
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