"Old maid" ( anon)

"Old maid" ( anon) 27c. ( of 28?)
This deck by an Anonymous maker represents one of the idle childhood amusements of singaporean children during the 1970s. The game of  "old maid" ,and the cards for playing it, are still sold to this day in the country, with very little change.
The deck we know of today has 36 cards, but the deck that is shown here only has 27 cards from the "old maid"deck, and one other "Mrs. Dauber", ostentatiously from a "happy families" deck.

The intresting thing, is, that this deck appears to be inspired by [?] a deck produced bt Tower press , "Old Maid, no. 5862" with similar illustrations.  [see http://www.wopc.co.uk/uk/tower-press/index.html]- go figure

"cego"( animal tarot) , ASS

"cego"( animal tarot) , ASS . 54c.
( if'you dont know what a tarock deck is, see http://anthonylesq.blogspot.com/2012/02/tarock-ass.html. )
Sometime in the 18thc, a german maker tried to revamp the tarock/ot deck. Instead of putting the standard imagery in the trumps, he replaced it with a series of animals, and called it the tiertarock ( ger. - 'animal tarot/tarock".)
  Now, several patterns to this theme developed, but eventualy, a pattern known to some as the "alder-cego" won out, and is the deck that is shown here.
The deck has exactly the same composition as an ordianary tarock deck, save that the rural images on the trumps have been replaced by those of animals. The trumps sometimes have a sort of contrast of the animals between them, most often male/feamle  (the 21 has a cock on one side and a hen on the other. )
 The sküs ( fool) is placed here with the 21, as in the game of cego, it is the highest card.

Tarock ( ASS )

Tarock ( ASS ),"industrie und glück" 54c.
For an introduction to tarot decks, see; http://anthonylesq.blogspot.com/2011/11/on-tarot.html
When  tarot cards came into germany, the players decided to discardmost of the non -scoring pip cards in the deck , to make the game more interesting. The result of this is that the deck is shortened from 78 to 54 cards. The pip cards that remain are ;
in spades and clubs - 10, 9,8,7
in diamonds and hearts- 1 ( ace) , 2,3,4
The trumps and the court cards remain unchaged. 
Note the Jacks of clubs and diamonds. they carrry the maker's addresson their shields

 

Now, this pattern is known as the Industrie und glück ( "industry and luck") , or rural scenes tarock, the name coming from the text on trump II , aldough even this is known to vary sometimes, with "AUDACES FORTUNA JUVAT "( lat; "fortune favours the bold") or "SZERENCSE FEL !" ( hungarian ; "good luck") . Also note trump I, with the harlequin & columbine.

 Note the fool , Which is depicted as a harlequin, and is holding a smaller fool ( puppet?)



French tarot ( Grimaud), part II

French tarot ( Grimaud), 78c.  -part II-  the trumps.
( for part I, discussing the court cards , see http://anthonylesq.blogspot.com/2012/02/french-tarot-grimand-part-i.html)
The trumps in the French tarot/ tarot nouveau , are markedly diffent from the mysterious images of the italian suited ones. Gone are "death", "temprance" and "the world", replaced by "13", "14" and "21"respectively. The cards bear innocent scenes for rural/city life.
The only card that has not changed drasticaly in both decks is the fool or excuse. The card in this deck is represented as a jester with a lute.

French tarot ( Grimand) Part I

French tarot ( Grimaud), 78c.

The french tarot,  Bourgeois Tarot   tarot nouveau is the tarot deck which is used in france ( and sometimes denamark) today, for gaming, as opposed to divinatory uses. It may be found in all types and qualities, from ones printed on cheap pastebboard, to those with gilt edges. This is surprising, give that the design is said to have been inspired by ones made in germany....

The french tarot is identical in structure with the Italian tarot ( see http://anthonylesq.blogspot.com/2011/11/on-tarot.html)
Note the following;

I- the cards are french suited , using spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds instead of the italan suits of swords, batons, coins and cups.

II the cards have indexes, with V for the valets =jacks, C for chevaler = cavaliers,  D for Dame = Queen and R for roi = king

Some pip cards

For part II, dealing with the trumps, see;

http://anthonylesq.blogspot.com/2012/02/french-tarot-grimand-part-ii.html

Miniature playing cards ( anon)

Miniature playing cards ( anon), 54c.
The following deck is of 54 cards , and it is so small that it is scarely conceivable that these cards not were used for anything other tha a showpiece. Nevertheless, the maker managed to reproduce, within the space of  22 by 17 millimeters faithfully, evey detail of the standard english pattern.
Note the jokers. evidently, the maker derived the illustrations form through the looking-glass

Austrian large crown pattern ( piatnik)

Austrian large crown pattern ( piatnik) , 52c. + 3 jokers

This deck is of the austrian large crown pattern, but posses some ususual features;
I- the deck has 55 cards. Normaly, the deck only has 32 or sometimes as little as 24
II the deck has indexes.
compare: http://anthonylesq.blogspot.com/2011/11/preference-vienna-large-crown-pattern.html