Cartes à Jouer Fluorescentes

These standard French designs with their fluorescent colours are both fun and garish. As all the backgrounds are black, the black suits are outlined in yellow, while the fluorescent red is closer to pink. The back design is a pattern of wavy green lines against a black background.

One wonders with novelty packs such as this what the intended market was. Was it a whim of someone in the factory or just a gimmick? After testing these cards in the dark, it would appear that the fluorescence has lost its effect over time. Additionally, the cards have become warped with age and no longer lie flat. See the box►

Above: Cartes à Jouer Fluorescentes made by Boéchat Frères (‘Héron’), Bordeaux, France, c1960. 52 cards + 2 (identical) Jokers in upright telescopic box. Size: 57 x 87 mm.

Reference

Fournier Museum Catalogue, Vol. 1, France 419.