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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.

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1574 Phelippe Ayet, c.1574

Phelippe Ayet, c.1574

Archaic, late medieval Spanish-suited playing cards printed by Phelippe Ayet, c.1574.

Piatnik & Sons for the“Estanco de Naipes del Perú”

Playing Cards made by Piatnik & Sons for the“Estanco de Naipes del Perú”, c.1960.

1930 Picture Show — Zodiac Fortune Telling Cards

Picture Show — Zodiac Fortune Telling Cards

Zodiac Celebrities fortune-telling cards presented with 'Picture Show' magazine, 1930. The cards were printed in black and red and supplied as uncut sheets inserted into the magazine.

2004 Pippoglyph

Pippoglyph

Pippoglyph Playing Cards by Ben Crenshaw © 2004

Playing Cards and Religion

Early engravers and print makers made devotional images for pilgrims and people who could not afford paintings or books. Many of these craftsmen turned their hand to manufacturing playing cards to earn extra income. Today playing cards are often produced to spread religious messages, teachings or fo...

Playing Cards by Compañia General de Fósforos

Playing Cards by Compañia General de Fósforos, Bs. As. (founded 1888).

Playing Cards by J J Nunes

Playing Cards by J J Nunes, Lisbon, Portugal

Playing Cards from Ecuador

There has been very little playing card manufacture in Ecuador. Cards are mostly supplied from Colombia, Argentina & Spain. Known brand names include: Willy Wilson, La Raspa and El Heraldo. Some locally-made tourist souvenir packs are also known including Naipe Ciudad de Quito and Galapagos Islands ...

Playing Cards from Ireland

During the nineteenth century playing cards were being produced in Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

Playing Cards from Mexico

MEXICO shares a long tradition with Spain in the field of playing cards. The Estanco de Naipes (playing-card monopoly) was established in 1576.

Playing Cards in El Salvador

Cards were first imported to Central America from Spain, although local production has always existed. Today El Salvador has some local production of playing cards, which are often of rudimentary quality.

Playing Cards in Honduras

Honduras shares a long tradition with Spain in the field of playing cards.

Playing cards in Morocco

The earliest literary references to playing cards in Europe refer to the game having been introduced by a 'Saracen', and also to Moorish and Damascene varieties of playing card.

Playing Cards in other cards

Secondary applications of playing cards.

Playing cards in Puerto Rico

Playing cards in Puerto Rico.

Playing cards in the Upper Rhine region

Documentary evidence suggests that card playing established itself in Italy in 1376, and then spread rapidly northwards across the Alps into the Upper Rhine regions of Germany and Switzerland and westwards into France and Spain.

1975 Playing Cards in Venezuela

Playing Cards in Venezuela

Naipes “El Torero” No. 1000 manufactured in Caracas by Productos Nacaral C.A., c.1975

Playing cards in Wales - Welsh playing cards

Whereas the distinctiveness of Wales is an important resource contributing to the rich texture of variety which characterises the island of Britain, to date no Welsh playing cards cards have been found which were actually manufactured in Wales.

1920 Playing Cards manufactured by The US Playing Card Co for the Estanco de Naipes del Peru

Playing Cards manufactured by The US Playing Card Co for the Estanco de Naipes del Peru

Playing cards manufactured by The US Playing Card Co for the Estanco de Naipes del Peru, 1920s - 1950s.

1949 Poker Taurino

Poker Taurino

Baraja Taurina was published by Enrique Guerrero, c.1950. Subsequently published as Poker Taurino by Clemente Jacques y Cia, S.A.

Polaires - Foreign Legion Playing Cards

A Bridge-style deck featuring Foreign Legion paintings by Maitre Rosenberg.

Polish Playing Cards

Poland has been involved in playing card production since the 15th century.

2000 Politicards 2000 by Action Publishing

Politicards 2000 by Action Publishing

Politicards 2000 features 54, full colour, caricatures of the candidates, politicians and political pundits shaping the American presidential elections in 2000

1928 Popular heroes and celebrities

Popular heroes and celebrities

Miniature children's playing cards depicting popular heroes and celebrities on the backs, Montevideo, c.1928.

1850 Portuguese Conjuring Playing Cards

Portuguese Conjuring Playing Cards

Portuguese Conjuring Playing Cards, c.1850.

1490 Portuguese Playing Cards

Portuguese Playing Cards

The Real Fábrica de Cartas de Jogar was founded in 1769, by Royal Charter of King José, under the master craftsman Lorenzo Solezio, brother of Félix Solesio who ran the Spanish Real Fábrica at Macharaviaya.

1878 Portuguese Type Cards made in Belgium

Portuguese Type Cards made in Belgium

Portuguese Type Playing Cards made in Belgium, c.1878.

1860 Portuguese Type Playing Cards c.1860

Portuguese Type Playing Cards c.1860

10 cards from a pack of later Portuguese ‘Dragon’ type cards from c.1860, with the Maid of batons about to club a dog.

1880 Portuguese Type Playing Cards made in Belgium

Portuguese Type Playing Cards made in Belgium

Portuguese type pack with ‘dragon’ aces made in Belgium by Mesmaekers Frères, Turnhout, c.1875-1900.

Prof. Franciszek Bunsch

Prof. Franciszek Bunsch, Polish playing-card designer.

Proverbs and Maxims

Naipe Infantil Gauchito children’s miniature playing cards with Proverbs and Maxims on the reverse,

Queen of Hearts

“Queen of Hearts” by Josie Callipari, winner of the Brian Tucker Accounting Desert Fantasia Award 2005

1815 Quercia y Possi, Buenos Aires 1815-16

Quercia y Possi, Buenos Aires 1815-16

José Maria Quercia y Possi was an Italian immigrant who joined the Chilean Independence army. He set up a playing card factory in Argentina in 1815 known as "Fábrica de Buenos Aires".

2009 Radisson Hotels

Radisson Hotels

Playing cards for Radisson Hotels - Casinos del Estado - Victoria Plaza, Montevideo, Uruguay, c.2009.

Real Fábrica de Macharaviaya

This is the official Spanish National pattern of the 18th century. Design and production was controlled from Madrid as a source of national or regional revenue. The factory was located in the town of Macharaviaya, in the province of Málaga.

Regarding the designs of playing cards

The quality of playing card designs often deteriorates with time…

1932 Reinholds Kasparsons

Reinholds Kasparsons

Reinholds Kasparsons, a popular Latvian illustrator of the day, designed this pack which was published as The Best Quality Playing cards No.1 in 1932.

Renaissance Playing Cards

Renaissance Playing Cards by Maxim Hurwicz, showing 54 different drawings spanning the years 1066 to 1400.

Ricardo Sopena

Argentina importing agent Ricardo Sopena, Corrientes 920, Buenos Aires

1676 Robert Morden’s Playing Cards

Robert Morden’s Playing Cards

The 52 Counties of England and Wales described as a pack of cards first published in London in 1676.

1895 Roldan Tobacco Cards, Peru

Roldan Tobacco Cards, Peru

Tobacco cards with miniature playing cards inset into top corners, printed by Litografía y Tipografía Fabbri Hermanos, for Roldan y Cia Tobacco, Lima, c.1895.

Romagnole pattern by Guglielmo Murari

Romagnole pattern by Guglielmo Murari c.1920

1930 Romanian playing cards by Alf Cooke

Romanian playing cards by Alf Cooke

Romanian playing cards, manufactured and exported by the Universal Playing Card Co., Leeds, in the 1930s.

1909 Russian Constitutional Playing Cards, 1909

Russian Constitutional Playing Cards, 1909

A rare American Russian political pack depicting events and moods in early 20th century Russia.

1820 Russian Standard Playing Cards

Russian Standard Playing Cards

Cards from an early version of a Russian standard woodblock and stencil pack of circa 1820.

Safe as Houses by Catherine Kelly

My current work evolved from using a pack of cards as a metaphor to explore the randomness of life and the luck of the draw.

Sardinian playing cards

Sardinian playing cards.

Scooby-Doo! playing cards for Hellmann’s Magic

Miniature Spanish-suited playing cards featuring Scooby-Doo! made specially for Hellmann’s.

1910 Sebastian Comas y Ricart, Barcelona

Sebastian Comas y Ricart, Barcelona

“El Ciervo” standard Catalan-type pack made in Barcelona by Sebastian Comas y Ricart, c.1905-10.