Malam playing cards
Malam playing cards created by Michael Muldoon, USA, 2015.
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, this pack was published in 2015 by System 6 Playing Cards, and printed by the Expert Playing Card Company, New York. The creator, Michael Muldoon, explained in the original campaign that “the Chumash people often played two styles of games, one involving chance, and the other skill… Each village had a special area in which these games were played, they called it Malamtepupi. With this in mind we have shortened the name to Malam”.
Inspired by Native American culture, ornament and dress, the court cards portray detailed and elaborate drawings of North American Indians – warriors, women and chieftains, perhaps suggesting different tribes (though no information is provided).
The tomahawk, arrows and spears figure prominently on the back of the cards (within a decorated gold border), the Ace of Spades, and in the court images. The two Jokers show a Native American wearing a headdress. A custom red tuck case, along with gold foil and embossing, adds to the luxurious feel of these cards. See the box►
Above: Malam playing cards created by Michael Muldoon and printed by the Expert Playing Card Company, USA, 2015.
By Peter Burnett
Member since July 27, 2022
I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.
Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.
Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.
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