Purchasing information and postal costs.
COLLECTORS PLAYING CARDS |
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HOME CATALOGUE HOW TO ORDER TERMS AND CONDITIONS DESCRIPTIONS EXPLAINED
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Catalogue of cards for sale |
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* * Read an article from The Financial Times about my collection and investing in playing cards * * |
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Further information about the pages and collecting |
| Standard national and regional patterns: Cards which are the 'usual' cards with the 'usual' King, Queen and Jack court cards as used in different parts of the world. Jokers are very desirable but not essential to the value of the pack if later than 1950, pre 1900 jokers are very scarce (introduced around 1880). | Non-standard playing cards: Cards with unusual or specially designed Kings, Queens and Jacks. 'Pip' cards may also be unusual designs. Jokers, if non-standard, are essential for the value of the pack. Additional cards, such as title or information cards, also affect value. |
| Souvenir and Commemorative: Includes souvenir cards from 1880s onwards with picture views on the card fronts, also commemorative card backs for royalty, political, military & war, tartans, sports, entertainment and crested backs. | Worshipful Company: The Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards (Charter 1628) produce a special design each year (since 1882). These are scarce and collectable cards, especially pre 1945. Single WCMP cards are in this section. |
| Political, War and Military: Commemorative packs for world leaders, political satire, war and military matters. This is a rich field for collectors and one which often shows good investment value. | Entertainment Sporting Magic and Gambling: This section includes cards for music, theatre, films etc; all kinds of sports and field sports like fishing and hunting; magic tricks and conjuring; gambling cards from casinos and advertising cards for casinos. |
| Advertising: All sections. Cards in these sections usually have special designs on the back for the product. Sometimes they also have non-standard courts or unusual Aces. A special box advertising the product increases the value of the pack. | Advertising Transport: This section includes shipping lines and ferries, railways, airlines and road transport such as car manufacturers and component producers. A popular area for collecting. |
| Named backs and picture backs: This includes English named cards popular in the 1930s-1950s, artist signed back designs and decorative picture backs. There are also a few single cards in this section. | Tarot and Fortune telling: Tarot cards were originally used for playing card games (15th century onwards) then later for fortune telling, they contain 56 'ordinary' cards and the 22 major arcana used for divination layouts (21 numbered trumps plus the fool, unnumbered). |
| Children's card games: Becoming popular during the 19th century this category is a major field for collectors. Cards range from lavish, beautifully chromolithographed productions to cheap but cheerful playthings not expected to last. Often wonderful sources of social history. The original box and rules are important. Games in very good condition carry a premium. | Single cards: Backs, Jokers, Aces and other oddments. Single cards are very popular in some countries as a pack can be shared between many collectors. I only sell single cards from incomplete sets. I have many hundreds of different designs in stock. |
| Patience and miniature: Patience sized cards tend to be about half the size of ordinary cards. This section includes very small cards as well. The original box increases the value considerably. | Pin-up & miscellaneous: This section includes pin-up and erotic packs; and any other miscellaneous cards which can't be found a place in any other section. |
| Paraphernalia: This section contains items to do with playing cards such as score cards, card boxes, whist markers, china and glass items. |
Ephemera: Rule booklets, playing guides, score cards and other items mainly made of paper. |
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Value depends always on desirability, rarity, completeness and condition - not on age! The original box makes a significant difference to value. Jokers and extra cards as issued are essential except in standard packs after 1930. Rules are particularly important with card games. |
LINKS TO TWO OTHER USEFUL SITES |
www.wopc.co.uk This is an excellent site to visit for information about all aspects of playing cards. There are many more links on the site. |
The English Playing Card Society Go to www.wopc.co.uk and follow the link. Membership will bring many benefits including newsletters.
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