Simon Wintle
- Spain • 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.
Líneas de Nazca
“Líneas de Nazca” souvenir playing cards, Peru, c.2008.
Grand Jeu Lenormand
A pack of 54 playing-cards for fortune-telling each card containing a number of zodiacal, classical and modern images with a miniature card of the conventional type at top left and a letter of the alphabet at top right.
Daveluy
Daveluy produced card games between c.1840 and 1890. Many of his playing cards are in neo-medieval style with landscape backgrounds.
The Great Galumphus
The “Great Galumphus” card game from the 1920s shows various comic animals with their names printed alongside, designed by Miss Jessie Veal.
Cartomancia Astrología Quirologia Tests
A set of rather unusual and non-standard cartomancy cards from Argentina with religious connotations and imaginative artwork
Old Bavarian pattern
Uncut sheets of playing cards of the Old Bavarian pattern by Michael Schatzberger, Passau, c.1780.
Bodegas Trapiche
Promotional playing cards produced for Bodegas Trapiche, designed to play Quartet games by collecting a wine bottle card with four matching glasses.
Jewish Card Game
Judaism is the oldest of the great monotheist religions, parent of Christianity and Islam.
XV Century Catalan playing cards
XV Century Catalan Playing Cards, featuring four female Sotas, four Aces and four cards from the suit of batons.
Naipes Merlín
“Naipes Merlín” produced by Kit Produccion y Diseño S.A., Argentina.
Paparazzi Pin-up Deck
Pin-up deck given free with Paparazzi magazine, 2005
Deportistas Guipuzcoanos
Guipuzcoa’s best athletes of the twentieth century, playing cards sponsored by El Diario Vasco and Euskaltel, manufactured by Heraclio Fournier, 1999.
Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals
Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals, c.1998 & Bodegas Trapiche, 2003.
Circus Transformation Cards
Deluxe Limited Edition Circus Transformation Deck designed by F. Robert Schick, 1988
Cotta Transformation playing cards
In 1804, J.G. Cotta, a publisher and bookseller in Tübingen, Germany, produced the first set of transformation cards that was published as an actual deck of playing cards.
Naipe Estilo Español “Siglo XXI”
Naipe Estilo Español “Siglo XXI” created by Florencia Marotta, 2005.
Li River Souvenir
Li River Souvenir Playing Cards from China.
Snap
Snap, the Old Original Game, has captured the imaginations of children for over a century!
Kamarát Toy Cards
Kamarát miniature toy playing cards from Czechoslovakia.
Glorious Colección 1995
Spanish-suited playing cards featuring the ‘Glorious’ ladies swimwear collection for 1995, designed by Estudio Fileni/Mendióroz.
German Saxon Pattern
The German Saxon Pattern or “Schwerdter Karte”.
Bohemian Pattern
The Bohemian Pattern, sometimes called the Prager Pattern, has roots in the 16th century.
Czechoslovakia
The Republic of Czechoslovakia was founded in 1918 from the former Austro-Hungarian empire.
Czech Hussite Deck
Czech “Hussite” Pack engraved by Karel Hoffmann and first printed by Jan Ritter in 1895.
Prague 1908 Jubilee
This special pack of playing cards, published in 1908, was available at the Jubilee Exhibition held in Prague.
Marché 7 Familles
“Marché 7 Familles” Happy Families card game published by France Cartes
De Reszke Cigarettes “What the Stars Say”
De Reszke Cigarettes “What the Stars Say” astrology cards issued by J. Milhoff & Co., 1934.
Side Car
Luis Fourvel's standard English style Naipes Side Car, with the distinctive motorcycle Joker were published over several decades.
Estelares
Naipes Estelares playing cards manufactured by Luis A. Fourvel y Cia., Buenos Aires, early 1950s.
Naipes Tango by Arco Iris
Naipes Tango by Producciónes Gráficas Arco Iris, 1999.
Falta Envido
Naipes Argentinos para Truco "Falta Envido" created by Alberto Soifer with Gaucho courts and variant suit symbols, 1982.
The Combination of Images and Text on early playing cards
When playing cards have titles or legends these reference a written/literary tradition of some form. It connects the image to a wider cultural sphere, extending the visual impact.
La Cumparsita Tango deck
Tango playing cards manufactured in Argentina, 2001.
Animal Tarot
Woodblock and stencil Animal Tarot cards, probably of Swiss origin, 2nd half 18th century.
El Monoplano
María González Rizzo (1926-1940) followed in her father's business producing Spanish-suited brands such as “Los Dos Tigres”, “La Española” and an Anglo-American style deck titled “El Monoplano”
Suicide King
The King of Hearts, holding a sword behind his head, is sometimes nicknamed the “Suicide King”. He can be seen to derive from a late medieval design showing a King wielding a battle axe.
Provence Pattern - Portrait de Provence
The 'Provence' pattern contains figures which go back to the fifteenth century.
Heber Mardon (1840-1925)
Heber Mardon was born in 1840. With his father he founded the firm of Mardon and Son which, in 1863, became Mardon, Son & Hall.
Baraja Canaria
‘La Auténtica Baraja Canaria’ was published in 1995 by Justo Pérez as an expression of the history and character of the Canary Islands.
Baraja Marinera
‘Baraja Marinera’ designed by Francisco Javier San Juan, published by Asescoin (Madrid), 1995
El Cid 9th centenary
Playing cards commemorating the IX centenary of the death of ‘El Cid’ designed by Vicente S. Algora.
Draughts League Medals
Arthur Charles Prince worked for De la Rue as a playing card cutter and later was promoted to supervisor of a small team of workers of same until his death aged 50.
Rowley & Co - “Monarchs of Europe”
In around 1775 Rowley & Co attempted to reform the traditional court cards to portraits of the kings and queens of England, France, Spain and Russia.
Monumentos de España
"Monumentos de España" souvenir playing cards manufactured by Heraclio Fournier, S.A., Vitoria (Spain), c.1955.
Regional Costumes
Spanish regional costumes and coats-of-arms; cute illustrations on each card, 1986.
Repoker Político
Political caricature playing cards designed by Antonio Olveira, published by the Malaga newspaper “Diario 16” on the occasion of the 1995 local elections.
Capel Vinos
Advertising playing cards for Capel Vinos S.A., manufactured by Naipes Comas, 2001.
Quits
Jaques' Quits card game, c.1880-85, with portraits of monarchs inside suit symbols in red, blue and yellow, designed to assist in the education of school children in British history.
Baraja Gallega
Baraja Gallega designed by cartoonists and caricaturists Pinto Chinto (David Pintor & Carlos López) in 2002.
Baralla Galega
'Baralla Galega' designed by X. Cobas and published by Imprenta Comercial Imprent S.A., La Coruña (Spain) in 1983
Nintendo Mario Playing Cards
Special cartoon playing cards designed to accompany Nintendo's Mario series of computer games.