Russell Playing Card Co.
Romeo and Juliet
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by Simon Wintle
Unbranded ‘Romeo and Juliet’ backs by Russell Playing Card Company, c.1911.
Russell Playing Card Co.
Willis W. Russell started a modest playing card business in Milltown, a small town in northern New Jersey, in 1905.
Smart Set 400
The “Smart Set 400” brand with named backs was introduced in c.1906 by the Kalamazoo Playing Card Co. in Michigan. Kalamazoo subsequently merged with the Russell Playing Card Co. in around 1913 or 1914. Thereafter the “Smart Set 400” series continued to be published by the Russell Playing Card Co.