Just like the "Joker of the Month" in the Jokers section we will select a "Deck of the Month" from all the decks that we could add to our collection during that month. It will be what we consider our best find. We've started this section in April 2007 and without any doubt we can say here that over the years there will be antique, vintage and modern decks shown on these pages. Age, design and value of the chosen decks may be very different each time.

August 2024

I've visited the Belgian National Playing Cards Museum in Turnhout a few days ago to discuss my donation of the SN collection and back home found out that one deck had never been added to the SN exhibition here on this site or the SN section of the Speelkaartenmuseum site. So this omission will have to be resolved soon, but in case you're not going to check those pages regularly, I've decided to show it here now too. Not because the pattern is special, but because this deck is rarely found.

This deck was first published as "Moyen Age" by the Nederlandsche Speelkaarten Fabriek (NSF) in 1911 and a year later that title was used by the Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland (SN) too as well as "Petit Trianon. After the take-over in 1912 SN has appointed numbers to their decks and Moyen Age got number 633, while Petit Trianon got 744. According to a pricelist from 1913 the Moyen Age deck was published in a box and Petit Trianon in a wrapper.
Although the deck was titled "Moyen Age", neither courts nor aces have anything to do with the Middle Ages. The deck has a Berlin pattern on the courts and these are dressed in Biedermeier style. The used pattern shows great resemblance to that used by Schneider & Co and the Berliner Spielkarten Fabrik Eduard Büttner & Co. The deck was obviously published as a luxury edition, judging by the quality of the chromolithographic printing, the eye for detail and use of colour. The cards have golden corners and the box is a solid two-piece sliding box.

Another distinguishing feature for the Nederlandsche Speelkaarten Fabriek (NSF) is the black indicator in the red suits. This feature is found in all NSF decks, so this deck was probably old stock that SN was selling.
		Suit symbols of spades, hearts and clubs have an embellished design.

The set of aces shows scenes from ancient Paris, Fontainebleau and the Petit Trianon, which is located on the grounds of the Palace in Versailles. Ancient scenes, but all from a much later date than the Middle Ages. Click the ace of spades to see both sides of the set, enlarged.

The courts have French indices and it's possible that the deck was meant for export to France. However, besides Dutch French was also still spoken in the upper-middle and upper classes in the Netherlands in those days.
		Export could explain why the deck is so rarely seen here.

The deck consists of 52 cards, no joker was ever issued with this edition.

	The same castle is depicted on both sides and has a great resemblance with the Muiderslot, nowadays advertised as "Amsterdam Castle" in tourist guides.