Hello All

[BirdOPrey5]

Hello All...

I joined to do some research and maybe get some answers on several decks of vintage playing cards... they are  "Risqué" cards so still looking around to see if I'm allowed to post pictures of them on this site somewhere.

I worked for a very rich man (he was in the top half of the Forbes 400 list before he died) and I was one of the people who helped empty his house. After his wife and kids had come through and picked out everything they wanted/were entitled to, we had to throw everything else out because the house was being sold.

In the pile that was set to be trashed I found several decks of these older playing cards- being a poker fan i picked them up- but then they pretty much sat in my garage for the last half-decade and I just re-discovered them recently.

Most of the decks have nude women, some drawn some photographic, and these all seem to be from France. There's a couple other decks still sealed in plastic wrap with the letters LGS (I believe) in calligraphy on the cards in gold- with solid dark blue and dark red backgrounds (a blue deck / a red deck). Unsure what LGS means since it is not the initials of my boss or anyone in his family.

Anyway, I'm going to look around a bit and hopefully post some more.

[Rob Wright]

Welcome to the forum. I would say take a small(or big depending) strip of paper, and place over the nice parts. Then post some pics.

[52plusjoker]

Welcome BOP
Think you'll find some answers as people post. Maybe you could post a few backs!  And well know more to give you some help.

[BirdOPrey5]

Thanks.

By "backs" you mean the back of the cards? This is from the most explicit set- I'm going to need to do some work to make the fronts safe to post.

[Nurul]

Welcome. Hope you enjoy your stay

Maybe you could post your collection it the "post your collection " topic found in the playing card plethora page.

Also, doesn't LGS usually mean "local game store"?

[Don Boyer]

Also, doesn't LGS usually mean "local game store"?

Not on a monogrammed deck.  It's like getting a monogrammed handkerchief with the initials of the store on it rather than the buyer's (or gift recipient's) initials.

[BirdOPrey5]

Welcome. Hope you enjoy your stay

Maybe you could post your collection it the "post your collection " topic found in the playing card plethora page.

Also, doesn't LGS usually mean "local game store"?

Thanks, that is what I have done.

http://aethercards.com/discourse/playing-card-plethora/post-your-full-collection/msg89697/#msg89697

[Don Boyer]

Silly me, I must have been in a fog when I was posting earlier!

Welcome to the Discourse, Mr. Prey!    Please make yourself at home and let us know if you need anything - we'll see what we can do to assist.

I left out something re: monogrammed decks.  I've seen instances in the past where companies that do the monogram work will receive orders from customers, but then the order ends up unpaid for, a check bounces, the package is returned for a bad address, etc. - they would take these unsold, pre-monogrammed decks and sell them off cheap in order to at least break even on the cost of making it.  It's not as common an occurrence these days, since monogram decks are less commonly used, payment and shipment methods are more reliable and computerized printing allows for easier "on-demand" creation of monograms on a pre-printed pack of cards.

[BirdOPrey5]

Considering the man who owned these was of considerable wealth AND the fact these cards are still sealed and unopened I don't think we're dealing with a deck being sold at a discount. Plus they were with these other "special" decks so I believe they were important to him. I'm guessing at this point they may have been a gift from a famous person and that is why (unlike the other decks) they were never opened- I know when he received a gift from Prince Charles we were all warned not to open the box- not that we would have- but still, he and his wife made it a point to remind us. I'll get some more pictures later today.

[Don Boyer]

Considering the man who owned these was of considerable wealth AND the fact these cards are still sealed and unopened I don't think we're dealing with a deck being sold at a discount. Plus they were with these other "special" decks so I believe they were important to him. I'm guessing at this point they may have been a gift from a famous person and that is why (unlike the other decks) they were never opened- I know when he received a gift from Prince Charles we were all warned not to open the box- not that we would have- but still, he and his wife made it a point to remind us. I'll get some more pictures later today.

As you stated, they could have been a gift with personal significance, but they could also have been purchased by someone else in the household just to have a pack of playing cards around.  Say, if they were a gift, perhaps there's a chance they're from someone noteworthy...

[BirdOPrey5]

Seems I was a little off on the initials... they appear to be L G D (I think...)

Going to post more pics in the collection thread, they have a tax stamp in the packages.

[Don Boyer]

Seems I was a little off on the initials... they appear to be L G D (I think...)

Going to post more pics in the collection thread, they have a tax stamp in the packages.

To me, that's a lot more like S I D - especially when you compare it to some similar script fonts like the ones I've attached.

[BirdOPrey5]

Wow, it amazes me so many people can look at this and come away with such different answers. However I really think you have hit the nail on the head with this one. Thank you!

"Sid" was a nickname he had.

[Don Boyer]

Wow, it amazes me so many people can look at this and come away with such different answers. However I really think you have hit the nail on the head with this one. Thank you!

"Sid" was a nickname he had.

Yeah, some of the more florid scripts are really difficult to read - and doubly so for those people graduating from an educational system that no longer teaches penmanship and a society that communicates more through a keyboard than via hand-written letter.  My stepson couldn't write script if you put a gun to his head.  I've offered to teach him but he has no interest in learning it.