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JANUARY 2023 There were 2 jokers, which caught my eye in Miriam's old single jokers book. Both were made in the US, but the second one needed extensive research (i.e. turning a lot of pages in the Hochman) and I didn't have the time for that. So I went for the easy one, of which the name of the manufacturer was already given: the New York Consolidated Card Co. That meant turning only a limited number of pages in the Hochman. Still, there were 30 references to pages to search through. But it didn't take more than 5 minutes to find the right picture on page 63. With the reference NY65 the following information was given: "Bee French Whist #68, NYCC, c1910. Another early whist size deck, made for only a short period." So probably the joker is a bit special, as it was only produced for a short period. But I didn't know that when I chose this joker. I like the idea of the design, in which a jack is the puppeteer and the king and queen are the puppets. |
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This month a Dutch joker collector asked me about 2 Austrian decks by Piatnik. One of them was the "Allerfeinste Salon Whist No. 133", printed in fine chromolithography and published in the 1920's. The title is printed on front and back of the box too, but (in a different font) also "made in Austria". This deck must have been exported to the US, as there's a small piece of an American tax stamp left on the box. Although it says "52 Blatt Goldeck" on both sides of the box, there is this joker and an extra card. I guess that these were added because the deck was exported to the US. The extra card shows the name of the company, but here (in black) against a pink beige background with a red floral design in the middle and an embellished outline. Never seen this type in any other Piatnik deck. The deck has shiny gold corners, as promised by the "Goldeck" on the box. Miriam was the real joker expert, but as far as I know this sitting joker by Piatnik is not often seen. I like the used soft colours. |
