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MONTHLY NEWS FROM THE EXPERTS AT 52 + JOKERPresenting a Rare Deck Seal Type over a Half-Century Old

WHITE LABELHow Do You Store It?

How Do You Display It?

YOUR COLLECTIONThe Genius Engineer & Inventor

who Became a USPC VP

J.D. McCRACKEN

DECEMBER 2015 ISSUE 13

FIRST ANNIVERSARY ISSUE!

A TINY SAMPLING OF THE CARDS IN THE TOM AND JUDY DAWSON COLLECTION, STORED IN A VINTAGE THREAD SPOOL STORAGE CABINET.

52 PLUS JOKEREMAIL CONTACTSClick on a name to send that person an email.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: CARD CULTURETom Dawson, PresidentJudy Dawson, Vice-President/Editor in Chief: CLEAR THE DECKSLee Asher, President-Elect/Director of Publicity and Membership; Associate Editor: CARD CULTURESteve Bowling, TreasurerClarence Peterson, Secretary

Don Boyer, Vice-President/Director of Digital Media; Editor-in-Chief: CARD CULTUREMaxime Heriaud, Staff Writer: CARD CULTURETom Majski, Staff Writer: CARD CULTUREAndrea Whitlock, Staff Writer: CARD CULTURE“Fes”, Staff Photographer: CARD CULTURE

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DECKS ON DECK - NOVEMBERAndrea Whitlock covers the new releases and

noteworthy Kickstarter projects of the past month.

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UNEARTHED!We dug into the late 1990s to find articles on poker as the

American national game & Craddock’s Medicated Blue Soap.

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THE WHITE LABELLee Asher uncovers a unique, rarely-seen deck label:a special tax-free seal from the era of deck taxation.

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HOW DO YOU STORE YOUR PLAYING CARD COLLECTION?CARD CULTURE puts out a call to action - send us photos of

how you save and show off your beloved pasteboards!

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EDITORIAL: HAS IT BEEN A YEAR ALREADY?On our first anniversary, Editor-in-Chief Don Boyer reflects on

how it started, where it’s been & where it’s heading..

03ASK THE EXPERTS

PlayingCardForum.com user “Al” puts out a call for help in identifying a pack of minatures he acquired at an estate sale.

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TIMELINE: JAMES DeWITT McCRACKENHistorian Maxime Heriaud regales us with the story of the brilliant inventor and engineer who became a USPC VP.

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VINTAGE HISTORYGive Duratone, the original plastic-coated

playing cards by the Arrco Playing Card Company!

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INDICES IN AMERICAN PLAYING CARDS (PT. 5 OF 12)Tom Dawson examines some decks which use a novelty that

never became mainstream - values placed inside suit pips.

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CONTENTALL RIGHTS RESERVED

COPYRIGHT © 201552 PLUS JOKER ORG.

DECEMBER 2015 - ISSUE 13

CARD CULTURE is proud to announce it has reached what I hope will be only the first in a long line of landmarks - one year in publication!

It really does feel just like yesterday (or perhaps the day before, if I’m being honest!) that Lee Asher and Tom Dawson approached me about expanding my duties from simply running the club’s recently-purchased forum to editing a new, all-digital magazine - a monthly, to boot! Needless to say, at first blush the task seemed pretty daunting. New content every single month? Covering the spectrum of card collecting? And don’t get me started on the debate over what to call our little project!

All in all, the thought of the job and all the work it would entail was a little outside of my comfort zone, but never leaving one’s comfort zone leads to a boring and monotonous life.

It is with the help of all my capable staff members and friends that we have been able to accomplish some incredible things with CARD CULTURE. Every single issue met its deadline without fail. We’ve attracted advertising and attention from some of the largest and best playing card manufacturers not just in the community, but on the planet. The magazine’s appeal has been so broad, it’s even considered to be a major contributing factor to the record increase in membership over the course of the past year. Our promotional special issue was such a hit, in the coming year we’re hoping to release a joint promotional special issue with CLEAR THE DECKS - and I couldn’t be happier. To me, for all its valuable content, CLEAR THE DECKS alone is worth the price of a membership and I’m proud that CARD CULTURE has her as a sister magazine!

I’m also extremely grateful for the support of you, the readers. I’ve heard so many kind words and compliments on the magazine, especially during the convention, that at times I wondered if my head was going to fit through the door! I think of it as being less of a duty, more of a privilege, and most definitely a pleasure, especially when someone is telling me how much they enjoy CARD CULTURE.

This hobby we share is going through some great times. Interest in custom playing cards is growing in leaps and bounds. I can’t even keep track of all the Kickstarter projects and new decks being produced by independent companies any longer, not without help, anyway. The quality and beauty of the art and manufacturing pushes the envelope of what’s possible further and further. Just as importantly, as more people are flocking to custom decks and making modern card collecting their new hobby, their interest is being piqued in vintage decks, creating more buzz in the market and minting new vintage collectors every day. Best of all, we’re getting more and more new users joining PlayingCardForum.com - some of whom eventually become members of 52 Plus Joker! The club’s membership is growing at a pace as fast as all those fantastic new deck releases. It’s an exciting time to be involved with card collecting

in general and 52 Plus Joker in particular, especially as the club becomes more digital and more international. There are many fantastic things unfolding and I’m happy I was lucky enough to get a season pass with a front row seat!

Lastly, I want everyone to remember that our virtual front door is always open. This magazine - this club - is here because you, all of you, want it; it’s for your pleasure. If you have ideas, suggestions or contributions you’d like to make, or just plain want to say “Hi,” email us at CardCultureLetters@gmail.com. We’re always pleased to hear from you.

EDITORIAL: HAS IT BEEN A YEAR ALREADY?E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F D O N B O Y E R

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S T A F F W R I T E R A N D R E A W H I T L O C K

DECKS ON DECK - NOVEMBERRELEASES & HIGHLIGHTS

COMMERCIAL & KICKSTARTER

NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTSUnionby Theory11

An American Revolution themed deck, the Union playing cards spent over a year in development and are completely custom. The deck is laced with patriotic symbols and embodies the imagery of colonial America. The tuck box is embossed and foiled and has a regal look about it. I am not a big Americana fan, but I am a big Unions fan. This deck really appeals to me. I enjoy the court cards, the backs, and the tuck box very much.

Emerald Tally Hoby Kings Wild Project

The Emerald Tally Ho deck is the second in Jackson Robinson’s Luxury Tally Ho series. It is inspired by his daughter Claire, whose birthstone is an emerald. The emerald Tally Ho deck comes in four flavors: Display Deck, Limited Edition, Silver Edition and Legacy Edition. The decks use green and purple metallic inks for the card backs and faces. The Silver Edition is gilded in silver on the card edges. The Display Decks have standard white stock tuck boxes, while the other editions have premium, foiled and embossed tucks with custom seals. The highly sought-after Legacy Edition has the premium tuck housed in a handmade wooden slipcase with an individually signed and numbered seal modeled after an old tax stamp.

Kings of Indiaby Humble Raja

Kings of India is based on the history of the four greatest Indian dynasties. This deck has an embossed tuck box with very detailed gold foiling that evokes an extravagant feeling. The card backs feature the intricate gateway from the tuck. The faces are illustrated in a line-art style and depict the dynasty in the following manner: the king is the monarch of the dynasty; the queen is his queen; and the jack is his successor. Except for the courts, the cards have indices in all four corners. The deck also includes diptych cards to illustrate the expanse of each dynasty along with a brief visual synopsis for each king.

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Gold Monarchsby Theory11

Gold Monarchs are the first custom deck utilizing the USPC’s MetalLuxe technology (card backs stamped with real metal foil then processed with a durable finish). The MetalLuxe treatment with its luminescence, shine, and reflection is absolutely fantastic against the black card backs, making these Gold Monarchs a coveted part of my collection. However, registration on both backs and faces is less than stellar. As of this writing, Gold Monarchs are only available through Theory11 promotional giveaways.

Omniaby Thirdway Industries

Of all the playing cards I received in November, Omnia is my favorite. I love Giovanni’s artwork, in particular his queens. The fully custom Omnia series consists of three editions - Oscura, Illumina and Suprema - with different courts and card backs in each version. Within the Omnia mythology, each court card is reincarnated with a different soul for each edition: Oscura courts are dark, angry or sad; Illumina are happy, brave or generous; Suprema are powerful, divine or bejeweled. The suits also take on symbolism in the Omnia universe: spades symbolize the rebirth of the universe; hearts symbolize war, passion and violence; clubs symbolize goodness and purity; diamonds symbolize wealth and power; the jokers symbolize destiny and death. All three editions make heavy use of metallic inks and have ridiculously foiled tucks (ridiculously awesome), including inner foiling, that look stunning. The Suprema deck also has a very distinctive triangular seal.

Bumble Bee by Ellusionist Playing Card Co.

Ellusionist released two bee-themed decks in November - Killer Bees and Bumble Bees. Of the two, the Bumble Bee deck is my preference. I don’t normally care for faux-aged cards, but this is the first deck with that look which I actually like. It has an old-timey vibe while being delightful. With custom courts, unusual indices, and a classy vintage aura, it’s a deck that I’m happy I added to my collection. In addition to the jokers, it comes with two ad cards, one of which has some wise words from Albert Einstein: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals... no more man.” 10% of the profit of all Bumble Bee decks will be donated to honey bees everywhere via the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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KICKSTARTER PROJECT HIGHLIGHTSHere are a few of my favorite Kickstarter decks that launched in November. Each one is a project that I personally backed.

Black Diamond Tally Hoby Kings Wild Project

One of the first custom decks utilizing UPSC’s MetalLuxe technology, the Black Diamond Tally Ho deck funded in 58 seconds and sold out in a matter of hours. It is the third and most exclusive in Jackson Robinson’s Luxury Tally Ho series, with two ultra-rare editions. In addition to being Kings Wild Project’s first MetalLuxe deck, it is also the first KWP deck to have all-black court cards. 351 backers pledged $36,714 to help bring this project to life.

Olympusby Tom Anderle

The Olympus deck celebrates Mount Olympus and the Olympian Gods. The court cards are based on Greek mythology, which is a topic I’m fond of. This is Tom Anderle’s third attempt to fund this project, with the first attempt being canceled and the second being unsuccessful. The artwork has improved with each iteration. As of this writing, the campaign is still funding. If it reaches its goal of $9,000 by the deadline of Wednesday, December 16th at 10:07 AM EST, the deck will be printed by Legends PCC.

Grindersby Midnight Playing Cards

Randy Butterfield’s latest set of decks, Grinders, are full of grandeur and opulence, embellished with copper, blue, silver, black and even gold holographic foils. They come in copper and blue varieties along with a white gold limited edition. The deck gets its name from the poker term “grinder,” which refers to a person who plays conservatively and can “grind” away to make a living at it. Though the first Grinders Kickstarter campaign was canceled, this one was successful and will be printed by Legends PCC. 401 backers pledged $23,872 to help bring this project to life.

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TITLE PRODUCER(S) PRINTERArcana (Alpha, Omega) Theory11 for Scam Stuff USPC

Black Friday The Blue Crown Expert PCC

Blue Steel Bocopo Playing Cards Co. USPC

Bumble Bee (1) Ellusionist PCC USPC

Camp Cards D&D PCC for Bradley Mountain & 1924us USPC

Crown Deck (Light Blue) The Blue Crown USPC

Cultura Mankin Chan Legends PCC

Dragons (Black, White) Robert Burke USPC

Gamsters (Green) Whispering Imps Expert PCC

Grid (3.0, Reboot) 4PM Designs USPC

Killer Bees Ellusionist PCC USPC

Kings of India Humble Raja USPC

Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll Legends PCC Legends PCC

Liars & Thieves Conjuring Arts Research Center Expert PCC

Black Lions (Red, Blue) David Blaine USPC

LUXX Palme (Red, Blue) JP Playing Cards Legends PCC

Monarchs (Gold [New], Red [New]) (2) Theory11 USPC

NOC Signature Series (Dani DaOrtiz) The Blue Crown Expert PCC

Omnia (Suprema, Oscura, Illumina) Thirdway Industries Expert PCC

Once Upon a Time Toronto Playing Card Co. USPC

Peanuts (Bicycle) Medicom Toy USPC

Red Wheel D&D PCC for DKNG USPC

S.W.E. (Black) (3) Ellusionist PCC USPC

Sex Pistols (Bicycle) Medicom Toy USPC

Sons of Liberty D&D PCC USPC

Tally-Ho (Emerald) Kings Wild Project USPC

Tenebre (Nero, Zucca) 4PM Designs Legends PCC

Union Theory11 USPC

Zen (Royal Red) Conjuring Arts Research Center Expert PCC

NEW RELEASES LIST - NOVEMBER 2015

RELEASE NOTES:(1) 10% of the profit will be donated by Ellusionist to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.(2) The new gold Monarch deck is only available from Theory11 as a promotional giveaway; it is not the same as the original gold Monarch deck released in 2011 in the embossed matte-black box with gold foil print. The new red Monarch deck is a new printing with a more vibrant red back color and box color.(3) The black S.W.E. deck is only available from Ellusionist as a promotional giveaway.

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Provided you’ve been collecting vintage playing cards for a while, you’ve probably come across U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax stamps like the ones found on old U.S. Playing Card Co. (USPC) decks of various brands, some of which are now out of print. You’ve also likely seen USPC seals found on their decks made after 1965, like the stamps on Jerry’s Nugget Playing cards or the stickers found on all their newly-made decks. These modern seals come in a variety of colors: blue, red, black, gold and other colors have been used over the years. But have you ever seen a USPC “White Label” deck seal?

You could search eBay, the playing card forums and other card resources for months and not catch a glimpse of this elusive type

of label that was used for a short period of time for a very specific purpose. But let’s back up a bit, and find out why and when these seals were used.

The IRS taxed all playing cards sold in the U.S. from 1862 to 1883 and again from 1894 right up until June 21st, 1965. While the IRS permitted manufacturers to make “private die” tax stamps with the company’s branding during the former of those two time periods, every deck in the U.S. sold in the latter time period came with some sort of tax stamp issued by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), the same Federal agency that prints all U.S. paper currency. A quick Google image search of ‘playing card tax stamp’ yields photos and scans of 1-Pack, 10 Cents and a variety of

DIFFERENT USPC PACKS SOLD TO U.S. ARMED FORCES IN THE MID-20TH CENTURY CARRIED THE WHITE LABEL, SUCH AS THIS BICYCLE LEAGUE BACK DECK.

THE WHITE LABEL A S S O C I A T E E D I T O R L E E A S H E R

GOVERNMENT-ISSUED DECK OF AVIATOR PINOCHLE CARDS WITH A WHITE LABEL (RED) DATED 1956.

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ABOVE: GOVERNMENT-ISSUED DECK OF AVIATOR PINOCHLE CARDS WITH A WHITE LABEL (BLUE) DATED 1954.

LEFT: AN INTACT USPC WHITE LABEL (BLUE WITH RED CANCELLATION STAMP). DECKS CARRYING THIS LABEL WERE SOLD TO AMERICAN SOLDIERS WORLDWIDE VIA THE POST EXCHANGE STORES ON MILITARY BASES.

RIGHT: APOLLO NO. 33 WITH A WHITE LABEL (BLUE) CIRCA 1950s.

other Government-issued stamps used during that era. From June 22nd, 1965 to this day, card makers selling decks in the U.S. issued their own non-tax deck seals, often styled in the tradition of the original tax stamps.

However, for every rule, it seems there’s always an exception! The US Congress passed a law during World War II which stopped all taxation on items sold to their Armed Forces. More specifically, this meant cards acquired for members of any branch of the United States military would not be taxed and therefore would not carry an IRS tax stamp. So which deck seal was used for these packs? Thus, the USPC White Label was created, with blue or red printing on white paper.

How many decks were made with these seals, in the twenty-plus years they were in production? Of those decks, how many survived the long distances to and from post exchange stores that returned in a condition worth collecting? Your guesses to these poignant questions are as good as mine, but we can both agree that these

types of labels aren’t plentiful, nor are they easy to obtain.

Nonetheless, not everyone thinks these types of seals are worth collecting. “In the philatelic world, these labels are all called ‘Cinderellas’ and I believe the name comes from the fact that these highly-collectible items (for some) are the disregarded stepchildren of true postage stamp collectors,” says US tax stamp expert and fellow 52 Plus Joker member Kristin Patterson.

Luckily yours truly isn’t a true postage stamp collector. I collect playing cards and believe this sort of ephemera is extremely fascinating because White Labels are an interesting way of dating cards. More importantly, these thin slips of highly collectible paper represent an important period of time in America’s history.

In a future article, we’ll also cover other “tax-free” labels used on decks during this era, such as the “Uncle Sam” brand and those distributed by the Red Cross.

Thanks to Kristin Patterson, Jay Jayraman, Bob Rosenburger, and Tom Dawson for their help in researching information for this article.

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UNEARTHED!Found in CLEAR THE DECKS Vol. 10 #2 June 1996 (pgs. 42-43)

POKER - AMERICA’S NATIONAL GAME

Longtime club member Jim Faller writes “Poker is as American as baseball and apple pie, or should I say, James ‘Maverick’ Garner and Steve ‘Cincinnati Kid’ McQueen. It is thought to have its roots in New Orleans in the early part of the 19th century. With many of the characteristics of the British game of Brag and the Persian As Nas, it evolved into something quite different.”

Read Jim Faller’s Poker article in full.

Found in CLEAR THE DECKS Vol. 11 #2 May 1997 (pg. 33)

FEATURED DECK [CRADDOCK’S MEDICATED BLUE SOAP]

“One lovely advertising deck which actually falls under the Entertainment section in Gene Hochman’s Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards, Part 1 is known as the Craddock’s (Medicated) Blue Soap deck - SE2. This deck features photographs of stage actors and actresses of the era. It was published in 1895 by USPC and is of course reflective of their best quality.”

Read the Craddock’s Medicated Blue Soap Cards article.

FROM THE “ASK ALEXANDER” ARCHIVEOF CLEAR THE DECKS BACK ISSUES!

TOP: PEOPLE LOVE PLAYING POKER!

LEFT: CRADDOCK’S MEDICATED BLUE SOAP DECK BACK DESIGN (HOCHMAN SE2, CIRCA 1902).

RIGHT: JOKER FROM HOCHMAN SE2 FEATURING THEN-FAMOUS AMERICAN ACTOR WILLIAM DEWOLF HOPPER.

PLEASE NOTE: You must have an Ask Alexander account in order to “unearth” the entire reference and read the full article. All 52 Plus Joker members are entitled to a free Ask Alexander account as part of your membership. If you don’t have one, please contact 52PlusJoker@gmail.com and we will create one for you.

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TIMELINE: JAMES DeWITT McCRACKEN (1859-1936)

Industrialist, James DeWitt McCracken was born at Uniontown, New Jersey, April 3, 1859. He was the son of Charles and Rebecca B. (Hall) McCracken.

He was educated at the public schools of his native city. At the age of eleven, he went to work with his father on a canal boat. At sixteen, he migrated to Cincinnati, Ohio, where from humble beginnings he worked his way up to a position of importance in the world of commerce.

After working on the Cincinnati street railways, he was successively a locomotive engineer on the Ohio & Mississippi and the Cincinnati Southern railroads and operator of a ferry boat plying its trade between Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky.

In 1883, he entered the service of the Russell & Morgan Company, printers and lithographers. Out of the business of this firm grew, as separate enterprises, the United States Printing Company in 1891, United States Playing Card Company in 1894 and the United States Lithograph Company in 1901. The first and third of these companies were combined in 1912 as the United States Printing & Lithograph Company.

When McCracken first joined the company he was put in charge of the power plant. After the separation of interests, he continued with the United States Playing Card Company as general superintendent of the factory. He was elected a director in 1921

and vice-president of the company in 1925. Although he retired from the superintendency in 1931, he continued as director and vice-president until his death.

Meanwhile the company had become the largest manufacturing firm of its type in the world. A large measure of its success

was due to his mechanical and inventive ability. He devised many of the machines, processes and formulas employed by the company. One of his most valuable contributions was a formula for red ink to be made locally instead of being imported from Germany. Another was new type of glue, superior to the old in elasticity and durability.

For many years, he was a director of the Western & Southern Life Insurance Company and for twenty-one years, was a director of the Sorg Paper Company of Middletown, Ohio.

Physically powerful and vigorous, he was gifted with a cheery disposition and kindly feeling which endeared him to all his staff and associates.

Shortly before his death he joined the Roman Catholic Church. He was married in Cincinnati on December 31, 1877, to Hanora

Diffley, daughter of Patrick Diffley, of Williamstown, Ireland, and they had five children, three of whom died at birth, the others being Charles (died young), and Lenora McCracken, wife of Edward McClure Ballard. McCracken’s death occurred in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 19th, 1936 at the age of 77.

S T A F F W R I T E R M A X I M E H E R I A U D

ABOVE: JAMES McCRACKEN’S AUTOGRAPH.

BELOW: A CARICATURE OF McCRACKEN AT MIDDLE AGE.

OPPOSITE PAGE: A PHOTOGRAPH OF McCRACKEN LATER IN LIFE.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: TUCK BOX, ACE OF SPADES AND CARD BACK DESIGN OF AL’S “MINIATURE #197” DECK.

“ASK THE EXPERTS” - MINIATURE #197Playing Card Forum poster Al asks...

“Today I am posting a miniature deck found at a recent estate sale. I can find no manufacturer’s name. Came with an extra joker card, so that may be a clue to it’s approximate age.”

Maxime Heriaud, known as “Cryptocard27” at Playing Card Forum, replies...

“According to the Spade Ace and the Extra Joker, your deck seems to be the ‘Miniature’ #197, another version of the ‘Peter Pan’ Patience deck, issued with the same Joker but a ‘Peter Pan’ back and box. It was made by the Western Printing & Lithographing Company and I think in the 1950s or 60s, by considering your ‘1 Pack’ Tax Stamp and the design of the back. However the design of your Ace was used for other older decks (Hochman MSW131b p.149 - MSN74 p.161).”

Take a moment to read the entire thread here.

Do you have a question you’d like to ask the experts? Click here after you’ve logged in at playingcardforum.com!

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HOW DO YOU STORE YOUR PLAYING CARD COLLECTION?

We here at CARD CULTURE are curious about how you store your playing card collection. Do you keep them in cabinets? Maybe you house your collection in plastic containers? How about behind glass with a Halon fire suppression system?

Please help us by taking a moment to snap a few quality photos of your storage set-up, then send them to us via email at CardCultureLetters@gmail.com. Make sure to include your name and any info about how you store your decks that you want us to share with the rest of the 52 Plus Joker membership.

We look forward to showing a variety of examples of card storage from different club members over the next several issues of CARD CULTURE. Send your photos today. Thanks!

A C A L L T O A C T I O N F R O M C A R D C U LT U R E

PHOTO OF WOODEN THREAD-SPOOL STORAGE CABINET WHICH HOUSES A PORTION OF THE TOM & JUDY DAWSON PLAYING CARD COLLECTION.

SHOW US!!!

In the first four articles in this series we looked at the commencement of the use of indices on American playing cards and depicted many of the earliest examples - cards manufactured mainly in the 1860s and through, in a few cases, to the early 1880s. In this latest installment we look at some examples of unusual placement of the rank portion of the index in the confines of the suit symbol – a phenomenon that never became very popular.

It is interesting that after the initial flurry of experimentation, indices settled into the pattern we still see today – 125 or so years later. We can speculate that no one has been able to make a significant improvement because the basic concept developed all those years ago is simple, efficient and lends itself well to the design

aspects of the face of a playing card. This fact itself is quite amazing when one thinks of the amount of change that has occurred with most products over the last century and a quarter.

Let’s go back to the placement of a rank descriptor inside the suit designation symbol to create an index. The earliest example we can find is the Union Generals deck of 1865 by National Picture Cards Co., another name used by Mortimer Nelson (see also Hochman W7 and W8) of New York. This very rare deck (Hochman W9) has a rather large capital letter for the rank inside a suit symbol in the top left and bottom right corners of each card. Pictured are the Spade Ace and the Club King.

Another deck issued a few years later in Boston (Hochman A49) used this same style. This is an intriguing deck because each card, on its face, advertises local merchants or products available locally. It has a neat Civil War back which we have pictured, along with the Jack of Diamonds and the Spade Four, because of its special interest.

In a previous installment we discussed the Saladee Whist and Poker #175 cards (Hochman L15), advertised as “Patent Double Symbol Corner Index Cards” which used a similar index to that of the Union Generals cards mentioned above but in all four corners.

Around 1880, an inventor named L. Lum Smith designed two political decks related to the 1883-84 presidential election campaign (Hochman P20 and P20a). The cards’ faces show a wealth of information on state electoral votes, populations, political figures, etc. We have pictured

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INDICES IN AMERICAN PLAYING CARDSC L U B P R E S I D E N T T O M D A W S O N - F I F T H O F A T W E L V E - P A R T S E R I E S

TWO CARDS FROM THE UNION GENERALS DECK OF 1865, NATIONAL PICTURE CARDS CO.

CARD BACK AND TWO FACES FROM HOCHMAN A49, CIRCA LATE 1860S.

THIS PAGE, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT: ACE OF SPADES FROM THE MIDWINTER INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION DECK (HOCHMAN SX15), 1894; KING OF SPADES FROM STAGE #65 (HOCHMAN SE4), 1896; FIVE OF DIAMONDS FROM ENVIRONS, INC. CAMPING DECK, 1974; JACK OF HEARTS AND KING OF SPADES FROM ONE OF L. LUM SMITH’S 1883-84 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN DECKS (HOCHMAN P20A), CIRCA 1880; FOUR OF CLUBS FROM SALADEE WHIST & POKER #175 (HOCHMAN L15).

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the Spade King and Heart Jack from the second version.

The next example, from USPC in 1896, has only the court cards with the rank inside the suit symbol. Like wearing suspenders and a belt, these cards also have regular corner indices. The Spade King from a Hochman SE4 Stage #65 deck is depicted. Another deck with the same concept is Hochman SX15, Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, where the suit symbol with the rank is placed in the opposite corners (top right and bottom left) to the normal indices.

The last example we could find comes from 1974 – a non-standard deck published by Environs, Inc. designed to help campers, hikers, etc. with emergency situations. We show the Five of Diamonds - this suit dealt with wounds, bites and burns. The other suits dealt with food and water when lost (Spades), first aid (Hearts) and shelter and obtaining help (Clubs).

Next installment – Dougherty’s Triplicates, which brought into play in 1876 a little-used index concept first used in America by Mortimer Nelson in 1863.

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VINTAGE HISTORY - ADS FROM THE PLAYING CARD PAST!