"Flying wheel 868" : International pattern X

Again, another deck of the international pattern, also from Indonesia.

Note that the scanning process has rendered the yellow parts more orange than they actually are. 

 Note the curious green colour of the backs. This is despite the fact that the box they are in ( below) is blue in colour 

"Playing cards 727" : International pattern IX

  "Playing cards" [international pattern]  , "727", 52 + 3

This deck of playing cards was made in Indonesia, . It is yet another example of the most far-reaching of all patterns of playing cards; the international pattern.

This deck is a rather ordinary deck. It was cheaply produced , and printed in only three colours ( compare http://anthonylesq.blogspot.sg/2012/03/international-pattern-part-i.html and http://anthonylesq.blogspot.sg/2012/03/international-pattern-ii-anon.html).

However, perhaps the most attractive feature of the deck are it's ace of spades and back design. The Indonesians, lovers of pattern and ornament, have exercised their imagination into designing these two cards. The ace of spades is a baroque creation, a mass of acanthus and flowers forming the symbol of that suit. The back design is a equally elaborate pattern of tritons and mermaids, frolicking amongst vines.

Spades ( note ace)

The packaging also shows the ace of spades.

Diamonds.

The back design. The overall structure resembles the backs of "bicycle" playing cards, but far more elaborate.

Sadly, the jokers are less ornate than the backs or ace.

Scenic aces 3- "Verona plastic coated speelkarten"

"Verona plastic coated speelkarten"- Anon, 52c + 3 jokers

If there is a deck of cards that can be called "international", this is it. Its courts are of the international, or Anglo-American pattern, but the indices are in Dutch. Likewise, the aces depict scenes from around the Netherlands.

It would be interesting to know what prompted the manufacturer of this deck to use the Anglo-American pattern for the courts whilst keeping the traditional scenic aces. Perhaps this was an exercise in economy ; The manufacturer could not get the plates for printing Dutch courts.

Dutch scenic aces / 2 - "Prima speelkaarten 1410"

"Prima speelkaarten 1410" ( Dutch pattern) , anon[?], 32c. + 6 of hearts

The present deck is yet another "scenic aces", but this time, the pictures depict scenes from the Netherlands, The scenes are exquisitely detailed line drawings, but unlike most examples, uncoloured.

Spades - Maasbruggen Rotterdam / Delftsche poort Rotterdam
Clubs - Station Groningen / Kasteel biljoen velp (GLD)
Hearts - Utrecht kromme N. Gracht / Gouda aan de gouwe
Diamonds  - Hoofdvaart assen / voorstreek Leeuwarden

The deck also possesses an extra card, a six of hearts. This brings the total number of cards to 33 instead of the usual 32. The extra card is included for use in the game of Pandoeren, ( see http://www.pagat.com/jass/pandoer.html )

 

Spades and clubs

 

Diamonds and hearts. Note the queen of diamonds, who holds a bird in her hand.

The aces

Dutch Scenic aces 1- "Bridge plastic coated

"Bridge/canasta plastic coated" [Scenic aces], anon, 52c + Joker ( incomplete?)
 
We present here an example of a particular genre of playing cards, the "scenic aces". These cards have been produced since the 19thc, and are particularly popular in the Netherlands and Belgium. What sets them apart is the depiction of landscapes on the Aces.

The court cards themselves are unremarkable, being of the standard "Belgian pattern" .

Observe how each side of the ace contains a different landscape.

Here are closeups of the Aces.

The landscapes here appear to be sorted out by Geographical region. England, is represented by Big Ben and Canterbury cathedral. Europe, by the Doge's palace and the Eiffel tower, Africa/Asia by the sphinx and Borobudur, and America by the Capitol and the statue of livery.

Note the depiction of the statue of liberty on the ace of spades. Compare it with the depiction in http://anthonylesq.blogspot.sg/2011/10/belgian-pattern-katja.html

 

 

 



Travelling chinese chess/xiangqi set

[Magnetic chess set], 31/32 pieces.
( For a more thorough description of a Chinese chess set, see http://anthonylesq.blogspot.sg/2013/07/chinese-chessxiangqi-set-butterfly-brand.html)

  The following magnetic Chinese chess set is extremely small, ( roughly 12x6 cm). This set is probably intended to be portable, as evidenced by it's small size, and the fact that the chessboard also doubles as a storage container for the chess pieces.  The pieces are magnetic, a necessity at this small scale.

A picture of the board. Note the missing green pawn. Unlike the "butterfly brand" chess set, this set uses red and green to distinguish the sides.

A closeup of the pieces. Unlike the butterfly brand set, the characters for the "cannon" pieces are written differently for opposing sides; 炮 for red, and 砲 for green. The characters for the "valet" pieces are also written differently, 仕 for red, and 士 for green.

 



Turun Linna pelikortteja / Åbo slott spelkort (Piatnik)

Turun Linna pelikortteja / Åbo slott spelkort = "Turku castle" playing cards, Piatnik, 52c + 3

The present deck of playing cards is one of the more curious decks to emerge from Finland. The box proclaims, in two languages (Finnish and Swedish, respectively), "Turku castle playing cards". The court cards of this deck represent characters associated with the castle, which is also depicted on the backs of the cards.
http://www.kolumbus.fi/sackab/kgb/playing_cards/abo.html

. Note the court cards. Their indices are not made up of the initial letters of the courts, but numbers, viz: 11, 12 and 13. Perhaps the reason behind this is to accommodate for Finnish and Swedish speakers, who call the court cards by different names. Also note the font used for the indices; the court cards and aces use a more ornamental font than the pips, which use a simple sans-serif font.

 

The Joker ( top row, 1st from left) is Frans Hals'  Lute player. Also note the unusual shape of the cards; They are not perfectly rectangular, but are barrel shaped, bulging slightly in the middle.