Help Identifying Older Playing Cards

[4jacks]

Images are located here:

https://imgur.com/a/psJoq

Obviously I can use help with two things.

A) Taking pictures. I'm oblivious how not to have glare, but still have decent lighting on shiny objects. Sorry about that.

B) Identifying the Cards in these Pictures.

I picked up these singles in part of a huge lot I purchased a while back. They came from a guy closing out a antique shop. He said he was also a collector.

Deck A - I have 26 of these Cards. Rough estimate these are 150+ years old. I'm guessing I got the left overs of a single sale, hence all the face cards are gone.

Deck B - Just this one card. Dirt ugly and really old.

Deck C - Just the one Card, Based on the 30 Star American Flag on the back, This Card should of been printed between 1848 - 1851. The Card is longer than the standard 3.5"

Deck D - Just have these two cards, I'm guessing these aren't too expensive or old, but I really like the back design.

Deck E - Just the one card. Curious About it, I'm guessing its from the 1950s. No clue what De Land is or the emblem. It's possibly older, based on the Copyright.

Deck F - I just have the four cards, the backs are pretty inconsistent, they may not even be from the same deck, but upon close inspection, the pattern is the same, just the coloring is off on the king. I'm guessing these cards are 150+ years old.

Thanks all!

[Daniel Wilson]

Really difficult to do this without the face cards or aces, but I’ll give a couple of them a shot.

A) The shape of the clubs signify a German maker, likely Wust around 1860 or so, given the lack of indices.  I’d guess Hamburg pattern, but it’s just a guess.

E) Your DeLand deck is a marked deck, used by magicians.  Don may be better at explaining this than I (as I don’t own a DeLand deck), but there are white spots on the various circles and flowers that denote the rank and suit of the card.

F) This deck is the Belgian-Genoese pattern, based on the Parisian pattern.  It’s almost certainly a European manufacturer, but without the Jack of Clubs there’s no way to know which one (makers are typically listed on the Jack’s shield).

[4jacks]

Thank you that's really Helpful!

[Jock1971]

Deck B looks to be the "Nederlandsche Speelkaarten" deck by Biermans of Turnhout, Belgium

Not sure of Deck A but the spade pip looks very much like the one from Deck B so i would guess Belgian in origin.

Deck C is " Americanische Gaigel" or "Americanische Skat" both used the same back design . these were printed by USPCC From 1881 onwards. Numerous back designs were used over the years your card is the earliest design.

Deck D - Don`t Know

Deck E is "Deland`s Automatic Playing Cards", - Your card have the Arcco Courts and not the original S.S. Adams courts.

Deck F is again from biermans of belgium (My pack is slightly later than your cards as mine have indices)

[4jacks]

Amazing Reply! Thank you very much!

[Don Boyer]

You don't see DeLand decks with the Arrco faces very often these days.  It's a good find!  The DeLand decks are a bit impractical for most serious magicians, but when I was a kid, kids liked playing around with them.  For a while, Arrco was printing DeLand's decks, then I believe USPC was making them with USPC standard faces (probably around the time that USPC bought Arrco), and now I have no idea who's making them but I don't think it's a major card printer - could be some inexpensive Asian shop doing the work.

The SS Adams Company was bought out by Magic Makers, Inc., which is still around and makes many gimmicked decks as well as reprints of Bicycle Rider Backs in a variety of colors/styles.  While I don't see them often, this deck was also made in a red-backed version.

[4jacks]

Yes, with only one card, I don't think it holds much value, but it's still a neat card to have.

Looks like they are currently printed in China, searching through the reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/Adams-Pranks-Magic-Delands-Classic/dp/B00KRZLZES/

It might be worth collecting to pick them up.


In regards to the Americanische Gaigel Deck.  I actually found the front and back of the box! I will try to upload pictures shortly.   

[52CardPickup]

Hello! I picked up some old looking cards for a good friend of mine and I was hoping I could get some help dating them.  I'm afraid they aren't as impressive as others but any assistance would be much appreciated.

[4jacks]

Hey 52CardPickup,   You may get more exposure by creating a new thread, but I can pretty much sum up the decks you have there.  That would be a advertisement deck from the 50's or 60's.  Brown & Bigelow was a pretty big playing card manufacturer, most famous for thier Hoyle brand.  They were purchased by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC) in 2001. USPCC of course is most famous for their Bicycle Brand.

Advertisement decks from that time period, as a whole don't carry too much value.  It depends on the condition and what the advertisement is for of course.  If it's an advertisement for something that is also collectible, it helps.  Such as Coca-cola decks, or Harley Davidson decks.  People who collect Coca-Cola or HD, would also be interested.  But the audience for a Life Insurance Company is going to be very limited.  You will see similar decks for $10-$15 in antique shops all the time.

[52CardPickup]

Heya! Thanks for the info. Its not so much of a gift for a serious collector. I'm got it for a good friend and past Prof. of Game Design. He is just a fan of gaming and analog game paraphernalia.
This is just like getting him a vintage set of dice or anything like that.