Delta Playing Cards

Published December 18, 2015 Updated January 21, 2025

Delta playing cards are a modern art concept deck invented by Professor M. R. Ali, an artist operating under the company name of “Artology International”.

1988 Iraq United Kingdom Schmid F.X. Professor Manzoom R. Ali Art & Design Cubism Innovation Poetry

Delta playing cards are a modern art concept deck invented by Professor Manzoom R. Ali, an anti-war campaigner, poet and artist operating under the company name of “Artology International”. Professor Ali, who has published several literary works, is originally from Iraq but currently resides in the UK. The deck was created in around 1988, and printed in Germany by F.X. Schmid. According to the information card accompanying the pack, the cards are one of three games produced by the company: “The design of these playing cards has been inspired by Sir Isaac Newton’s concept of the Delta and by the work of Picasso on Cubism.”

Instead of depicting human figures, the courts of all four suits have the same primary design, while each suit has a different deltoid design in the center of the card. Each ace has a single image based upon the traditional English suit symbols but modified in Professor Ali’s own Deltaism style. The deck was produced in olive-green and a burgundy based colour.

Delta Contemporary playing cards, invented by Professor M. R. Ali of “Artology International”, c.1988 Delta Contemporary playing cards, invented by Professor M. R. Ali of “Artology International”, c.1988

Above: Delta Contemporary playing cards, invented by Professor Manzoom R. Ali of “Artology International”, c.1988. In addition to poetry writing, Professor Ali is also the inventor of the Deltar, a musical instrument, as well as starting an art movement called Deltaism. Cards courtesy Jukka Kettunen. Research by Matt Probert.

Update from Roddy Somerville

Delta Classic

At the same time as the Delta Contemporary cards, Artology published a second pack with more traditional designs. The court card designs are identical in each suit, being very loosely based on an English King of Spades, Queen of Diamonds and Jack of Hearts, though coloured red, black and gold. The arrangement of the pips on the numeral cards has been adapted to fit the triangular shape. Two different sets of colours were used for the pattern on the reverse – gold on black or black on gold - RS.

Delta Classic playing cards made by F.X. Schmid, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, for Artology International Ltd, Weybridge, UK, 1988 Delta Classic playing cards made by F.X. Schmid, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, for Artology International Ltd, Weybridge, UK, 1988

Above: Delta Classic playing cards made by F.X. Schmid, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, for Artology International Ltd, Weybridge, UK, 1988. 52 cards + 2 Jokers + 1 extra card in clear soft plastic box. Size: 98 mm along each edge.

avatar
1,479 Articles

By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

Founder and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.

Related Articles

1905 Whist by Ditha Moser

Whist by Ditha Moser

Ditha Moser created this minimalist Whist deck in 1905, in the style of the Vienna Secession art mov...

2018 Keith Haring playing cards

Keith Haring playing cards

Energetic graffiti images by the American artist Keith Haring.

1992 Disney’s Aladdin playing cards

Disney’s Aladdin playing cards

Characters from the 1992 Disney film Aladdin.

2011 2011 Worshipful Company Pack

2011 Worshipful Company Pack

Celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, with characters adapted from drawings b...

1926 Jockey Club de Buenos Aires

Jockey Club de Buenos Aires

Spanish-suited pack by Chas Goodall & Son Ltd for the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires.

New interest in old games

New interest in old games

Games once fashionable are now eclipsed by quicker gratifications.

1999 Polygo™

Polygo™

Cards of irregular, four-sided shape for playing word and colour games as well as more traditional o...

1995 Treasures from the Bodleian Library

Treasures from the Bodleian Library

Rare books, manuscripts, music scores, portraits, maps, gospels, chronicles and other valuable artef...

1983 Carte di Natale

Carte di Natale

Designed by Pier Canosa as a Christmas pack for the Cortina Art Gallery in Milan.

1863 Victorian grocer’s scale plate

Victorian grocer’s scale plate

Large flat plate decorated with highly coloured English cards and royal arms.

2024 Queen of Arts

Queen of Arts

A wide variety of women artists celebrated on cards with illustrations by Laura Callaghan.

2015 Fredericks & Mae playing cards

Fredericks & Mae playing cards

A rainbow pack from the design team of Fredericks & Mae and Benjamin English.

1990 The Glasgow Pack

The Glasgow Pack

Issued to celebrate Glasgow’s reign as European City of Culture in 1990, with city views and works o...

2018 Cathedrals, Abbeys & Minsters playing cards

Cathedrals, Abbeys & Minsters playing cards

54 pictures of different famous cathedrals, abbeys and minsters in England and Wales.

2018 Christmas Carols

Christmas Carols

Christmas Carols playing cards illustrated by Stuart Dilks

1798 Pam is the Knave of Clubs

Pam is the Knave of Clubs

Playing cards as metaphors in 18th century art - from fate, chance and social hierarchy t...