Vannini Pocker Deck

[athomas16]

Today I will share a deck from my collection that you might not have seen too many times.  It has an interesting history and a great art deco look.  It was apparently featured in a book on Art Deco playing cards by Uwe Volker Segeth, but I don't have a copy of the book.  If you do, perhaps you could share some additional information.  Almost everything I know about this deck I learned here: http://www.dxpo-playingcards.com/xpo/deck-month/pages/deck-10-12.htm

The deck was a special edition for the 5th US Army, made in 1945 by Vannini from Florence, Italy. On the back design there's a red bull skull, which can also be found on one of the jokers. This skull refers to the 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division, which was only one of the Divisions of the 5th US Army.  The liberation of Florence came on August 4, 1944. But the war in the whole of Italy officially ended on May 2, 1945, when the last German troops surrendered and the Division had reached the French border.

As you can see in the pictures below, the court cards are fantastic!  Even better, one of the jokers features Hitler and Mussolini waving the white flag of surrender.  Check them out:

EDIT: I forgot to mention the period writing on my decks' blank card- helps date the deck...

[Don Boyer]

Astonishing...  Was it a common occurrence for military units in World War II (or other conflicts) to have custom decks of cards created for them?  I've seen a few pop up here and there online.

This is real history.  Amazing.

[athomas16]

Astonishing...  Was it a common occurrence for military units in World War II (or other conflicts) to have custom decks of cards created for them?  I've seen a few pop up here and there online.

This is real history.  Amazing.

I'm embarrassed to say this, but a few years ago I actually did some research on 34th infantry, tracked down a survivor, and gave him a call.  Obviously he was very old but his voice was strong and memory was great.  This gentleman was wounded in battle, laid bleeding (nearly) to death on the battlefield for almost 24 hours, and only survived by a miracle.  As you would expect, the conversation never shifted to playing cards...

[tyl3r]

This is one of the decks I came across in my playing card research and wanted to reproduce because of the striking court card designs. Love them! Something so rare and striking should be able to enjoyed by all! Don't know how the copyright works on that kind of stuff though!

Great story and pictures!

[52plusjoker]

This is a terrific post of a scarce, but we do see it occasionally, deck with a wonderful remembrance of tough times. The handwritten note on the blank is special! Thanks for posting this.

[Daniel Wilson]

Incredible.  Thank you for sharing this piece of history with us.

Do you have a personal connection to this deck (eg. family member served in the unit),
or is this something you discovered elsewhere?

[Don Boyer]

This is one of the decks I came across in my playing card research and wanted to reproduce because of the striking court card designs. Love them! Something so rare and striking should be able to enjoyed by all! Don't know how the copyright works on that kind of stuff though!

Great story and pictures!

Perhaps it's worth checking into.  Copyright law was different back then - there's a possibility that it's slipped into the public domain.  Anything older than 1923 no longer holds a copyright in the US, and many things made since then as well.

Of course, it wouldn't hurt to make an inquiry with that military unit, if it still exists.  They might even get behind the idea of reproducing the unit's deck.

[tyl3r]

Of course, it wouldn't hurt to make an inquiry with that military unit, if it still exists.  They might even get behind the idea of reproducing the unit's deck.

Did a little research and was able to find more information about that military nit, and found that the logo on the cards is still the one they use! Amazing. I sent out an mail explaining the situation and am eagerly awaiting a reply.

[athomas16]

According to the website i linked, there is some discrepancy about who actually produced the artwork for the deck.  To my eye, it look to be signed "Hague", but no such person is known to have produced other playing card art.

With the war ending, a new government being formed, and a rush to get the deck produced, i doubt anyone ever applied for a copyright, but I'm certainly no expert.

And to Daniel, the deck was purchased at auction in central Pennsylvania.  No clue how it got there, or the lineage of the deck.  No conection to my family, but I'll never forget the convo I had with the veteran.

As i typed this, a name popped in my head.  Stanley Wylowski.  I think that is the man i spoke to, with a misspelled last name.  Will research...

EDIT: almost!  His name is Stanley Vomacka, and you can read about him here: http://www.redbullrising.com/2011/09/association-celebrates-red-bull-history.html
He was still alive a couple years ago.

[Don Boyer]

Hey, is this your site?  If not, there's a lot of information about your deck here!

http://www.dxpo-playingcards.com/xpo/deck-month/pages/deck-10-12.htm

There is definitely some proof around of an Italian playing card company called Vannini.  Doesn't look like they're still in business.

EDIT to fix broken link

[athomas16]

That's not my site. It looks to be the same page I linked in my original post. 

[52plusjoker]

That's not my site. It looks to be the same page I linked in my original post.

This is an attractive website with excellent content which is run by Miriam van Houten and Joop Muller from the Netherlands. They've been collecting cards for around 30 years and are a great source of knowledge and information.
The link Don gave should work if you ignore the x before the http

[Don Boyer]

That's not my site. It looks to be the same page I linked in my original post.

This is an attractive website with excellent content which is run by Miriam van Houten and Joop Muller from the Netherlands. They've been collecting cards for around 30 years and are a great source of knowledge and information.
The link Don gave should work if you ignore the x before the http

Corrected.