Austrian Wine
Skat deck for Austria’s excellent wines, Österreichischer Weinwirtschaftsfonds, c.1965
Skat deck for Austria’s excellent wines, Österreichischer Weinwirtschaftsfonds, c.1965.
By Matt Probert
Member since March 02, 2012
I have adored playing cards since before I was seven years old, and was brought up on packs of Waddington's No 1. As a child I was fascinated by the pictures of the court cards.
Over the next fifty years I was seduced by the artwork in Piatnik's packs and became a collector of playing cards.
Seeking more information about various unidentified packs I discovered the World of Playing Cards website and became an enthusiastic contributor researching and documenting different packs of cards.
I describe my self as a playing card archaeologist, using detective work to identify and date obscure packs of cards discovered in old houses, flea markets and car boot sales.
Related Articles
Play Architecture
Twentieth century architects and their creations on a well-designed pack from Finland.
Leadmill playing cards
Promotional pack for an arts centre in Sheffield with designs by Martin F. Bedford.
Art pack I
Art pack featuring Old Masters, including Bruegel, Vermeer, Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, Canaletto, ...
Simpson (Piccadilly) playing cards
Innovative advertising pack for Simpsons of Piccadilly designed by André François.
Karl Korab
Austrian artist Karl Korab’s first pack, displaying his use of different techniques.
Hamlet Cigars
Advertising deck for “Hamlet mild cigars”, a Benson & Hedges product.
Smith-Corona Marchant
Simplified yet colourful court card designs by Avoine for Smith-Corona Marchant.
Johann Nejedly Tarok Cards
Johann Nejedly, a 19th-century Viennese card maker, produced Tarock cards featuring modern scenes th...
Austria Ski Team playing cards
Photos of members of the Austrian skiing team replace the normal courts on two different packs.
Grunwald 1410 – The Battle of Tannenberg
Details from the famous painting of the Battle of Grunwald (1410) by the Polish painter Jan Matejko....
Unimog UX 100
Cartoons promoting the Unimog UX 100, a small truck produced by Mercedes-Benz.
Star Trek® – The Original Series
Promotional pack for CIC Video with characters and starships from the original series of Star Trek. ...
Colonial Art
A collection of 53 pieces of art showcasing detailed scenes from early American colonial life.
Joseph Sürch, Engraver
Joseph Sürch, a prominent Viennese engraver, made significant contributions to card sheet engraving ...
Piatnik’s 200th Anniversary
A special philatelic souvenir for Piatnik’s 200th anniversary, combining playing cards an...
Trappola pack by Joseph Glanz
Double-ended Trappola pack by Joseph Glanz, Vienna, late 19th century.