Révolution 1789-1989
Révolution 1789-1989, celebrating the bicentenary of the French revolution, France, 1989
This pack, produced by Héron in 1989 joins several others celebrating the bicentenary of the French revolution (see Bicentenaire de la Révolution Française 1789–1989 created by Christian Offroy, Silvia Maddonni’s Jeu de la Révolution and Bicentenario della Rivoluzione Francese by Vannini).
Pip cards 2-10 are standard, with four corner indices. The court cards depict 12 individuals, including Robespierre, Danton, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, who went to the guillotine in 1793 and 1794. The aces show the symbols of the Revolution: the red Phrygian cap worn by slaves on becoming free; the eye within a triangle radiating light – indicating how the rays of the sun will drive away clouds of ignorance; the Fleur-de-lis symbolising the French monarchy; and the Law - chief instrument for demolishing the monarchy and laying the foundation for a new society. The pack has two jokers (showing the Phrygian cap) and a leaflet providing brief details of the courts►
Above: ‘Révolution 1789-1989’ playing cards produced by Héron in 1989.
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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.
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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