Army No.303
The Joker is particularly persuasive, whilst the Ace of Spades has a battle scene involving artillery, with Navy ships in the distance and the statue of the goddess of Freedom in the middle.

Russell, Morgan & Co: “Army No.303”, c.1881
Armed Services playing cards were part of several manufacturer's range of brands in an appeal to patriotic loyalty and as a tribute. Russell, Morgan & Co produced both “Army” and “Navy” decks as part of their original range in 1881. Incidentally, this was the same year that Clara Barton founded the Red Cross. These two brands were subsequently merged into an “Army & Navy #303” brand in c.1884. The Joker in this example is particularly persuasive, whilst the Ace of Spades has a battle scene involving artillery, with Navy ships in the distance and the statue of the goddess of Freedom in the middle.
See also: Dougherty's Cruiser No.96 • Russell's Regulars • Tigers #101 • Steamboats.

Above: 'Army #303' playing cards published by Russell, Morgan Co., c.1881. The splendid artwork on the Ace of Spades and Joker would have been a strong appeal to loyalty on the part of members of the Armed Forces. An accurate reproduction of this deck was issued in 1981 to commemorate the USPCC's 100th anniversary. Images courtesy Rod Starling.
REFERENCES
Dawson, Tom & Judy: The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards, U.S. Games Systems Inc., 2000
All images on this page are from the collection of Rod Starling, author of "The Art and Pleasures of Playing Cards", available on Amazon.

By Rod Starling (1936-2023)
Member since January 09, 2013
Rod Starling was one of the founding members of the 52 Plus Joker card collectors club. He authored many articles for the club's quarterly newsletter, Clear the Decks. His collection encompasses both foreign and American decks. Rod also authored a book titled The Art and Pleasures of Playing Cards.
Related Articles

Baraja de Juan Martín Zamorano
Deck inspired by El Pendón de los Zamorano, a military pennant dating from 1501, published by Priego...

Beowulf
Jackson Robinson's Beowulf playing card deck inspired by the Old English pagan poem.

Keith Haring playing cards
Energetic graffiti images by the American artist Keith Haring.

The Tarot of Meditation – Yeager Tarot
Marty Yeager’s original Tarot of Meditation from 1975, republished later by U.S. Games Systems, Inc....

Adobe Deck
The first digitally-produced deck of cards.

Seminole Wars deck
Seminole Wars deck by J. Y. Humphreys, Philadelphia, c.1819.

The UCR Deck
Giant-size cards designed by Thomas Sanders to advertise courses and facilities at UCR.

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

Red Hat Society playing cards
Society that encourages women in their quest to get the most out of life.

Mountain Dream Tarot
Groundbreaking Tarot created by Bea Nettles, using photographs and photo montage.

Junior Playing Cards
Child-friendly versions of standard English pattern cards designed by Louie Mantia, Jr.

Last Call Cats playing cards
Bar-crawling cats, designed by artists Arna Miller and Ravi Zupa.

Covered bridges playing cards
Historical covered bridges with photography by Bill Miller, 2006.

Motherpeace Round Tarot
An original and imaginative feminist tarot invoking matriarchal Goddess energy.

Victorian playing cards
54 different card designs including people, animals, flowers, costumes and ornaments popular during ...

Crown Hill playing cards
Crown Hill playing cards with illustrations by Corrine Guiney, USA,
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days