Liverpool Daily Post
“Mercury” playing cards produced for the Liverpool Cooperative Society, printed by the Liverpool Daily Post, c.1930
Above: detail from the Ace of Spades showing the rose, thistle and shamrock.
“Mercury” playing cards produced for the Liverpool Cooperative Society and printed by the Liverpool Daily Post, c.1930
The Liverpool Daily Post was a local newspaper in the 19th and 20th centuries. It amalgamated with the Liverpool Mercury in 1904. It clearly had the appropriate printing machinery for producing playing cards, which are on good quality card and with intricately designed courts in full colour. There seems to be only one pack, which was made for the Liverpool Cooperative Society, and was boxed as “Mercury” cards. This must be a reference to the former separate newspaper.
Above: “Mercury” playing cards produced for the Liverpool Cooperative Society printed by the Liverpool Daily Post, c.1930. 52 cards + Joker in plain box. There is no connection with CWS, Manchester, as far as is known. The Jack of Heart has swastikas in his clothing which at this time had no connotations with the National Socialist German Workers' Party.
REFERENCES & CREDITS
E.P.C.S., Newsletter: An Interesting Discovery, Vol.10 No.41 Aug'93 p.51
Lodge, Ken: The Standard English Pattern (second revised and enlarged edition), Bungay, Suffolk, 2010
Images and text kindly supplied by Ken Lodge.
By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
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