- RESOURCES - (clubs, web sites & books)

[dazzleguts]

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Have an unusual deck you would like to know more about? Or one that is a total mystery?
Want contact with other playing card collectors?
Look here for help.


Index

Collector's Club Web Sites
Online Reference Links
Reference Book List


*If there is a web site or book missing, which you think should be here, or a correction to be made, please PM me (dazzleguts). Credit will be given.

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COLLECTORS' CLUB WEB SITES

52 Plus Joker (North America) http://www.52plusjoker.org/dnn/

Chicago Playing Card Collectors http://www.cpccinc.org/

International Playing Card Society http://www.i-p-c-s.org/

English Playing card Society http://www.wopc.co.uk/epcs/index.html

Melbourne Playing Card Collectors (Australia) http://www.mpcc.org.au/

The Association of Playing Card and Tarot Collectors (France) http://as.de.trefle.free.fr/

[dazzleguts]

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ONLINE REFERENCE LINKS
* Updated and reorganized November 20 - 26, 2014, with thanks to ecNate for suggested new sites.
* May 6 2015: Thanks to Jock1971 for suggesting the "Bicycle Historical Archive - by Joseph Pierson".
* May 24 2015: Thanks to member variantventures for "Fournier Online". "Ken Lodge's Blog" also added.
* December 2016: Thanks to Levent Suberk for "International Playing Card Names". See original posts in "Discussions" area of this forum.



Quick tools:
Catalogue your collection: http://www.portfolio52.com/
Date playing cards: http://unitedcardists.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=47
ebay auctions: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/cards/overview
Identify a deck: http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/
Regional Playing Card Patterns: http://www.altacarta.com/english/overview.html
Tax Stamps: http://www.endebrock.de/pc-taxes.html
International Playing Card Names: https://forum.unilang.org/viewtopic.php ... f&start=20
and http://www.math.bas.bg/~iad/tyalie/damapik.html

Playing Card web sites, in alphabetical order:

Alta Carta by Ralph Scotoni & many other collectors (multiple languages)
http://www.altacarta.com/english/index.html

Reference for regional playing card patterns from around the world. Also supplies an area where collectors buy, sell and trade playing cards. Available in an impressive array of languages: English, German, Hungarian, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Italian, Czech, and Romanian. I think the languages key on your location? The above link is for the English language site. Regularly updated.


Andy's Playing Cards (English and Italian)
[url]http://a_pollett.tripod.com/[/url]

An interesting site with numerous illustrations of playing cards, links, and an excellent article on the history of playing cards. The "Picture Galleries" are extensive, with pictures and information on decks from around the world. There are also glosseries of playing card terms in at least 6 different languages, and directions for playing Italian, Japanese and Chinese card games. **Pop-up ads have been added to the site, and lately some pages end in errors. Still a very good resource.


Bicycle Historical Archive - by Joseph Pierson (English language)
http://www.cypressfilms.com/bicycle/index.html

Put together by Bicycle collector, and indie film maker, Joseph Pierson, this is an archive of Bicycle Backs, Aces of Spades, Jokers and Boxes. Also included on the site is an upload of "Mrs. Robinson's Bicycle Playing Card Collector's Handbook", a section for dating Bikes (including USPCC tax stamps), and an article by Country Living Magazine on Pierson's collection.


Collector's Weekly Vintage Cards (English language)
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/cards/overview

A listing of current ebay auctions of playing cards. They use some kind of algorithm to choose the auctions which are listed so this is a selection from all of the current ebay auctions. Seems to find the most popular ones, and often includes modern as well as vintage and antique decks. You can also see recently completed auctions by choosing that option.


Copag: "Everything About Cards" (English language)
http://copag.com.br/en/tudo-sobre-baralhos/

Nice overview of the world and history of playing cards, with interesting visuals. Some awkwardness in the English. Copag is part of the Carta Mundi group of playing card manufacturers.


DXPO - by Miriam van Houten and Joop Muller of The Netherlands (English)
http://www.dxpo-playingcards.com/dxpohome.htm

Wonderful site with individual decks from their collection on 'exposition'. Visit the XPO'S section to see full decks displayed with large images and information on the maker, date of production, and artwork. Includes a section on erotic cards. They also sell on ebay under the name jopo.


Fournier Online (Spanish language)
https://www6.euskadi.net/v09aNucleoWar/ ... vanzada.do

This is a selection of 1,662 of the items held in the Fournier Museum, including printing equipement and books. Useful even if you have the 1st volume of the Fournier catalogue since there are many decks featured which are later additions to the collection. Access to the site is not straightforward and most text is in Spanish. Directions: Once the link is open click on the seleccionar button on the right side of the page >> select Museo Fournier under the ALAVA heading >> click the Continuar button at the page bottom >> click the Buscar button at the bottom of the new page. The results start with printing equipement, but there will be a sidebar to the right where you can choose to see playing cards only by clicking on "Baraja".


Ken Lodge's Blog (English language)
http://kenlodge.blogspot.ca/p/home-page.html

Excellent site by a long time collector who was one of the founding members of the International Playing Card Society. Ken Lodge has an academic background and a passion for accuracy that makes the posted articles very useful. Here you will find corrections to entries in the Fournier Museum catalogue, a survey of most of the court cards that have been used by USPCC, a thorough examination of woodblock printed cards, articles on English card makers, a personal account of his own card collecting, and correct dating of decks that are often passed off as older. All this and much more at the above link.


Lee Asher (English language)
http://www.leeasher.com/index.html

Website of world-renowned card magician Lee Asher. Much of interest, including a chart of the USPCC Ace of Spades dating codes - found under "Essential Card Info">>"Date Your Deck" - and many other useful bits - under "Essential Card Info">>"See All The Card Collector Tools".


My Dear Playing Cards by Manuel Gámez (Spanish and English)
http://www.mydearplayingcards.com/e_content.php

Displays the nearly 3000 decks in the collection of the site owner, with info on each deck. Also offers spare decks to trade for ones he doesn't have. Regularly updated.


Peter Endebrock's Playing Card Pages (English language)
http://www.endebrock.de/pers-home.html

Great resource for dating playing card tax stamps from all over the world. Also shows images and information of the most interesting decks from his own collection. Well worth looking at.


PJ Madsen's Playing Card Museum (English language)
http://www.pjmadsen.com/index.html

Some interesting cards from the owner's collection. Especially good is the Dondorf Centennial deck reprint by ASS, which I have not seen anywhere else. (Thanks go to Jock1971 for this)


Plain Backs: A gallery of Standard English Playing Cards (English language)
http://www.plainbacks.com/

Plain backs is a reference to cards that were made before back designs became common - antique cards. Much of interest here, especially an excellent section on facsimile and reproduction decks. Advice is given on how to distinguish between a facsimile and an original deck. Also good information, and images, of English card makers and their styles.


Portfolio52 - A service from Alex Chin and Seasons Playing Cards
http://www.portfolio52.com/

Initially started as a personal side project and tracking method for his own collection by Rhuaridh Clark (UC member Rhu) as Playing Card DB, it is now known as Portfolio52. Portfolio52, the playing card database, is a service provided by Seasons Playing Cards and continues to be the easiest way to manage your playing card collection, discover and learn more about decks and to trade decks with others. It continues to be a community effort, by United Cardists members, and other playing card collectors, to document collectible playing cards of all types. There are currently more than 3,500 different decks of playing cards, with images and descriptions, with more decks being added on a daily basis. Membership is free and anyone can use the PCDB to catalogue their own collection, but only long time UC members and other trusted users are currently granted Contributor or Editor access. Also see related forums here at UC - http://unitedcardists.com/viewforum.php?f=57, especially the FAQs - http://unitedcardists.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=5666.

White Knuckle Playing Cards - White Knuckles Playing cards co. of Australia (English)
http://whiteknucklecards.com/

While showcasing the White Knuckles playing cards the site also contains articles on history, early standards, card backs, and card games.


World of Playing Cards - by Simon and Adam Wintle (English language)
http://www.wopc.co.uk/

An excellent site which discusses and illustrates the history, lore, collecting, manufacture, and design of playing cards through more than 1600 articles on specific decks, playing card makers, types of cards, etc. You could spend days looking at and reading this site.


World Web Playing Card Museum - by Alexander Sukhorukov (English language)
http://a.trionfi.eu/WWPCM/

Largest archive on the web of modern, vintage, and antique playing cards from around the world. Arranged in the following descending order: by country >> company name >> year >> joker. The search function is linked to google and works well. When searching WWPCM make sure you select the site rather than google since both options are there next to the search box, and google is the default. Can be useful for identifying an unknown deck, but you should double check with other sources as there are many errors. You will also need to look elsewhere for details. Regularly updated and welcomes contributions of images of cards that he doesn't have.

[dazzleguts]

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REFERENCE BOOKS


Ganjifa, the playing cards of India.
subtitle: A general survey with a catalogue of the Victoria and Albert Museum collection
by Rudolph Von Leyden

Well illustrated in black and white, and colour, with 128 pages. Published in 1982 by the Victoria and Albert Museum of London.


The History of Nintendo 1889-1980
subtitle: From Playing Cards to Game and Watch
by Florent Gorges and Isao Yamazaki

This book details Nintendo's humble beginnings as a playing card manufacturer, charting the entire range of toys and games, including such legendary products as Love Tester and Ultra Hand. It is the first of 4 volumes. In this first volume the general history of the company is covered in the first chapter, with more detailed product histories in further chapters, progressing from traditional Japanese playing cards up to the first video arcade games, home consoles, and the Game & Watch series. Over 500 card decks are catalogued, with pictures. Published in 2012, this is the best visual history of Nintendo you can find, and it contains information not available anywhere else. The pictures are profuse and well taken, but are often very small and not always well labelled. The book is an oversize paperback, with glued rather than sewn binding, and must be treated gently. It does come with a plastic sleeve to protect the cover.


A History of Playing Cards
subtitle: And a Bibliography of Cards and Gaming
by Catherine Perry Hargrave

This book was written around, and catalogues, the playing cards of a collection which used to be owned by the United States Playing Card Company. That collection was at one time on display in it's own museum in Cincinnati but is sadly no longer there. Illustrations are black and white only except for a few on the cover. Originally published in 1930 and reprinted by Dover in 1966.


The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards
by Tom and Judy Dawson (and Gene Hochman)

Based on Gene Hochman's "The Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards" which was originally published in six parts between 1976 and 1981, this gathers into two volumes the complete cataloging of American playing card makers as well as details, types, values, and brands of playing cards from the late 1700s to the early 1930s. The second volume is a supplement with over 100 new listings and/or revisions to the original book, complete with black and white pictures, and a price guide. The first volume was published in 2000 and the supplement was published in 2004. The price guide will no longer be accurate but this is still well worth getting as a resource.


Old and Curious Playing Cards
subtitle: Their History and Types From Many Countries and Periods
by H.T. Morley

Includes 16 color plates that first appeared in "Devils Picture Books" by Van Renesselaer in 1892. The rest of the illustrations are in black and white. Originally published in the 1930s.


Playing Cards (The Fournier Museum catalogue)
subtitle: General History From Their Creation to the Present Day
by Felix Alfaro Fournier

This is a multi-volume catalogue of international playing cards from the large collection of the Fournier Playing Cards Museum in Alava, Spain. Volumes one and two are available in English, as a box set or separately, but the books after that are only in Spanish. The first volume has 4,000 colour pictures with brief write-ups on 2,000 decks. There are some errors in the information given so it is best to confirm with other sources. The first volume was published in 1982, with 344 pages. The second volume is much slimmer and was published in 1988 to catalogue the cards added to the collection since the first volume was written.


Playing Cards
subtitle: 89 Illustrations in Color and Black and White
by Roger Tilley

A brief but engaging history of playing cards that is beautifully illustrated with large pictures of cards from the British Museum's collection.


Playing Cards of the World
subtitle: A Collector's Guide
by Kathleen Wowk

Published in 1983 by Lutterworth Press of Surrey, England. The book has 160 pages with over 290 cards illustrated, of which 123 are in colour.


The Standard English Pattern
subtitle: Second revised and enlarged edition
by Ken Lodge

Published in Bungay, Soffolk in 2010 as the second updated reprint of his original 1991 work. This book covers English card makers from the 1600's to the present, dealing mainly with the designs of court cards and spade aces. A second section describes various court cards from makers outside the UK, each illustrated by 3 examples.


Transformation Playing Cards
By Albert Field.

Documents transformation playing cards from 1801 to 1984. Black and white images except for an 8 page colour section in the middle of the book. The discussion and illustration of variations in different printings of the decks is very useful. Published in 1987.


Wood-block and Stencil. English Card-makers and Their Wood-block Cards
subtitle: A classification of their distinguishing features with a particular focus on the period 1790-1830
by Ken Lodge and Paul Bostock

Published in Norwich in 2014.