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Triestine Pattern

Published March 10, 2018 Updated July 04, 2023

The Triestine pattern is derived from the Venetian (Trevisane) pattern but with its own characteristics.

Italy BonArt Modiano Patterns and Suit Types

The Triestine pattern is derived from the Venetian (Trevisane) pattern but with its own characteristics, designed for Italian speakers in Imperial territories. It is always double-ended, narrow format with 40 or 52 cards. The court cards are all labelled at the centre in Italian, and the aces each have mottoes which can vary in different locations. See the Box

Triestine pattern by Modiano, 1970s Triestine pattern by Modiano, 1970s Triestine pattern by Modiano, 1970s Triestine pattern by Modiano, 1970s

Above: Triestine pattern by Modiano, 1970s, after the abolition of playing card tax which would have appeared on the ace of coins. Images courtesy Rex Pitts.


During the Yugoslavia period the Triestine pattern was preferred on the coast. It was also manufactured in Vienna or Budapest for Adriatic provinces.

Triestine pattern made in former Yugoslavia by BonArt

Above: Triestine pattern made in former Yugoslavia by BonArt. Image courtesy Rex Pitts.

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By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

Member since January 30, 2009

Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many.

His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.

Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service.

Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.

His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.


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