German-made 12-color process "Skat" deck (32 cards) - check out the red "B" eyes

[Mike Ratledge]

OK, I'm a quick learner, and I think I actually found something unusual this time.  It's a German deck made in the 40's or 50's (? maybe a lot earlier, but I think that's pretty accurate) with a 12-color process and the courts are like I've heard the "Norwood 85" deck decribed: you can tell the color of their eyes - literally.  Check out the court cards, specifically those two red "B" guys: blue eyes, plain as day.  I speak Danish, but I don't speak German at all (Tyskland in dansk).  I do know that "Blatt" is "Cards", so "Skat 32 Blatt" is "Skat 32 Cards" and "Zanders" is the maker's brand and "GmbH" is a German corporation, and I'll go "FEINPAPIERE" as 'Fine Papers'.  "Düren" is a small town in rural Germany, and "Bergisch Gladbach" is in the Cologne/Bonn Region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.  So - the maker was located (formerly) in two areas of Tyskland. The maker is Metsä Board Gohrsmühle which still produces 'Chromolux' papers and boards and was founded in 1829, about 20km from Cologne (roughly 13 miles).  I figured that out by looking online and finally came across this website: Metsä Board Paper and Board Mill Gohrsmühle.  The tuck itself is awfully plain, and gives you no clue of the cards inside it. What do you think, folks?  I still take crappy pix, that's the best I can do.  These things in natural light look simply amazing!  Sorry about the glare, I had to use a flash to get details and scalability.  Looking at their website, "Zanders Post-Bank" is a maker of fine paper for banknotes and postage - still.

[Daniel Wilson]

I believe this pattern is commonly referred to as the Berlin pattern.
Written along the sides of the Jack of Clubs is the following:
"Vereinigte Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkarten-Fabriken AG
Stuttgart Leinfelden".
"Vereinigte" means "united"; "Spielkarten-Fabriken" is "playing card
factory"; "AG" is short for "Aktiengesellschaft", or a type of shareholding
company; and Stuttgart and Leinfelden are neighboring cities.
Altenburger and Stralsunder is referred to by the acronym "ASS"; the
company was eventually sold to Cartamundi in the early 2000s.
ASS moved production to Leinfelden in 1956, so the cards can be dated
no earlier than that.

[Mike Ratledge]

That's entirely consistent with my thoughts and observations, and I have seen similar decks listed as "ASS" manufacture.  I'm going to hazard a guess and say 1960 give or take 5 years because of the quality of the paper which appears to be about 350+ gsm paper.  The 'finest' German manufactured paper theses days you can find is 310gsm, and I see that this company still produces a 250gsm, but show older stocks being 300/310/320/330/340/350 when I found a catalog online from the 60's.  I ordered a free catalog from them about the "50 years of Chromolux Papers" history.  We'll see what it turns up.  The manufacturer listed on the box is indeed what I showed in the OP, but I do see what you're talking about and hadn't tried to decode that 'fine print' on the "Valet" (Jack) of Clubs.  That hard-bound book was printed in 2011, so I'm going to say they started making Chromolux paper in 1961 - but I'm sure I could be off one side or the other by a year or two.  1965 seems entirely reasonable looking at more recent samples of German made Skat decks the paper is not nearly as fine nor glossy and the colors nowhere near as detailed nor do they 'pop' like these.  I'll go $4.24 on the next deck I see, also, though!

[CARTORAMA]

There is a German book on the cards produced by ASS (or VASS). Author is Thomas Petri, Title "ASS nach 1945" (ASS after 1945).
Your deck is registered there, it is the "Französisches Klubbild II" (French Club Pattern II) in the variant "Neues Karo" (New Diamond), which is registered and reflects on the white line inside the suit sign of Diamonds, produced from 1964 till 2001.
Your deck is advertising the Chromolux paper stock produced by the Zanders paper factory, still active today. It is difficut to say when your deck was actually produced, I suppose that the back design would not be very helpful, but the box indeed looks like late sixties - seventies.

[Mike Ratledge]

Interesting! I still think late 60's. The advertising Chromolux I had already figured out. I have a book coming from the Metsa factory... Quote a find, regardless.