Hi Tom,

I've just registered here and am trying to find my way around the forum. Don't know if this is the right spot or way to ask a question, but here's one that I have had since August 2012, when I could add the Hustling Joe deck to our collection. Why do all the Jacks in that deck have a feather on their hat? Does this have a special meaning or what's the meaning of this feather in general. In regular Anglo-American patterned decks the Jack of Hearts sometimes holds a feather.
All the best to you and Judy,

Joop Muller

What do you want to find out about an old vintage card or deck? Whatever your question, this is the place to find the answers to what’s puzzling you. We have lined up several of the vintage/antique collectors from 52 Plus Joker to specifically respond to your questions about items that you’ve seen, have heard about or have stashed away in your collections.

We learned about older playing cards by talking to people who knew more than us. In our case we were lucky - we found a couple of local collectors who knew a lot more than we did. They could often answer us easily, and if they didn’t know, could point us in the right direction. They also suggested books we should have and convinced us that research was an integral part of collecting. Slowly our knowledge grew. Eventually the point came when we were being asked more than we were asking! This is true for many members of 52 Plus joker and in this instant communication age makes the availability of expert information for you close at hand and easy to obtain.

We look forward to your specific questions. We, and other members of 52+J, will monitor this post daily and try to ensure we get the right expert to the card table to take our best shot at your answer.

Judy & Tom Dawson