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Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon

Published August 31, 2022 Updated August 31, 2022

Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon: 52 pictures of Bhutan published by Knowledgecards.

2008 Bhutan Knowledgecards Photography Souvenir

This 55-card pack includes two Jokers portraying the common raven, the national bird of Bhutan, and a third Joker detailing the manufacturer – Knowledgecards. Place of manufacture is not provided. Each card depicts monuments, national buildings, natural attractions and aspects of national culture and costume. The 10 of Spades shows a map of Bhutan, the Jack of Spades shows the national emblem of Bhutan (used by the Parliament of Bhutan, first established in 2007), and the 2 of Spades shows the national flag. All descriptions are in English. See the box

52 pictures of Bhutan published by Knowledgecards 52 pictures of Bhutan published by Knowledgecards 52 pictures of Bhutan published by Knowledgecards

Above: 52 pictures of Bhutan playing cards published by Knowledgecards. 52 cards + 2 jokers + extra card in box. The website given appears to be defunct.

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By Peter Burnett

Member since July 27, 2022

I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.

Russian Playing Cards

Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.

Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.

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