Circular playing cards-- Fournier

"Circular" -Fournier- 48c. + 2
 Another circular deck, this time from the Spanish maker Fournier. This deck is another example of the circular sort, save that it uses Spanish suits instead of the more common French ones.

 the suit of coins

as with the house of marbles deck, Fournier seems to have come up with more or less an identical solution to the placement of the pips and court figures on the deck. ( for a more conventional spanish deck, see http://anthonylesq.blogspot.sg/2011/11/castilian-pattern-by-fournier.html.)

However, unlike the house of marbles deck, which has 6 indexed around the circumference, this one has 4.

The suit of cups-- Again, much as coins.

Batons.

Swords: I find the placement of the swords , with their tips all pointing towards the center, vaguely threatening.

 

For another example of circular playing cards, see:

 

Circular playing cards I- house of marbles

"Circular playing cards/ Round playing cards" - House of marbles, 52c.+2

  Circular playing cards, although unusual, are by no means rare. The Indian Ganjifa cards are mostly circular in shape. This is doubtless due to the relative ease of making circles of regular shape than rectangles ( To make circles, one only needs a pair of dividers or compasses to trace the designs, whilst drawing rectangles calls for much work involving straightedges, which is wont to be inaccurate).
   However, as far as the west is concerned, circular playing cards are more often than not produced as novelties. This particular example is an English pattern. However, some modifications have been made to suit the format.

Spades

 

Notice that the court cards are repeated four times on each card, much like spokes on a wheel. In order for that to be achieved, the figures have to be stripped down a bit, thus making the king of spades look like four skittles!. The indexes are also repeated around the card in a similar fashion

The Joker displays a knight ( St, George?) slaying a dragon.

 

 

 

Diamonds

Note that although the courts have been repeated 4 times, the arrangement of the pips are as with a normal deck.

 

 

Clubs

Hearts.

The pips on the court cards seem to have been inverted