Chapter 4 - Longley Brothers and Successor Companies

[Chuqii]

Chapter 4 - Longley Brothers and Successor Companies

[Worst Bower]

If the dating of L5 is correct (c1867), it is the earliest true joker! Not an imperial bower or best bower, but an actual joker. And it's a clown too!

Here are my doubts: it's part of a 52 card deck, not a 32 card euchre deck; and it has rounded corners (http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/decks03/d01822/d01822.htm). The biggest red flag is that Samuel Cupples & Company was called Cupples & Marston until 1870! I would put this card in the 1870s.

Update: thanks to the research of Dave Seaney, this joker must be from 1877 or later. https://longleybrothers.weebly.com/paper-fabrique-cards---cincinnati.html

Check out Seaney's site for corrections about the Longley bros. https://longleybrothers.weebly.com/