Belgian Souvenir playing cards
made in Germany by C.L. Wüst
This pack of cards dates from about 1890. The design of the jacks was registered as a trademark 'Frankfurter Skat' in 1888. All the court cards are attired in Historical costumes, with the jacks being all the same except for the colour of the clothing. All the jacks show the name of the Wüst factory but there is no Wüst star on the jack of clubs, something which is nearly always found on Wüst packs of this period.
The pack shown has coloured views of interesting places in Belgium such as Waterloo, Brussels and Antwerp and was probably sold as a souvenir from Belgium. However, this pack was also available with plain aces. This pack was sold as No.64 Whist with gold corners (52 cards).
Below: The box and the reverse of the cards.
References:
- Playing cards from the factory C.L. Wüst, Shaw/Symons 2005, Set 73
- C.L.Wüst (private printing), K.J.Schultz 2021, Set 29
All cards shown are from the collection of Paul Symons ©
By Paul Symons
Member since February 01, 2016
I'm British but I have now lived in the Netherlands for more than 50 years and am still enjoying every minute of it. I started collecting playing cards in the early 1980’s after speaking with my neighbour who was at that time a croupier in a casino. I started with just collecting jokers, but that soon led me to complete packs of cards and eventually to specialising in old and antique playing cards, particularly those of C.L. Wüst of Frankfurt, Germany. I am presently the Dutch representative of the I.P.C.S. and the auctioneer at the IPCS conventions.
Related Articles
Blake et Mortimer – La Marque Jaune
Blake and Mortimer comic strip characters created by Edgar P. Jacobs.
English Heritage
52 different colour photos of historic sites managed by English Heritage.
Santo Mexico playing cards
Santo Mexico playing cards designed by Cédric Volon with Mexico-associated symbols.
Gallia Belgica playing cards
Gallia Belgica playing cards by Cédric Volon presenting a view of Belgian culture and folklore.
Historical Characters
Double-ended deck with historical characters and jacks as jesters by Daveluy, c.1850.
Mademoiselle Lenormand
XIX century ‘Mlle Lenormand’ cartomancy deck by Daveluy, Bruges.
Covered bridges playing cards
Historical covered bridges with photography by Bill Miller, 2006.
Hispania Romana
Educational card game depicting the Roman period in Spanish history.
Unimog UX 100
Cartoons promoting the Unimog UX 100, a small truck produced by Mercedes-Benz.
Juristenskat
Caricatures of lawyers and judges by Philipp Heinisch for HEEL Verlag.
Battles in Mexico, 1847
Uncut proof sheet with Mexican Battle scenes on the aces and portraits of American generals on the c...
Go Go Gorillas!
Go Go Gorillas! charity playing cards sponsored by the Eastern Daily Press and the Norwich Evening N...
Double-ended German-suited pack by Josef Glanz, Vienna.
From the British Museum collection.
Piatnik’s 200th Anniversary
A special philatelic souvenir for Piatnik’s 200th anniversary, combining playing cards an...
Printing Presses
Antique printing presses from the Turnhout Playing Card Museum collection.
Medizin Skat
Promotional pack for a hospital group in the Saarland, with non-standard suits and courts designed b...
Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here. Your comment here.