Highlights from the largest collection of playing cards in private hands.



Small pieces of paper can have a big impact. A ballot placed in a box, a phone number scribbled on a scrap, or a cheque made out and torn from its stub, have the power to communicate messages, represent value, and effect change on the lives of those around them. The same can be said of playing-cards: a deck of cards is a set of symbols representing a range of values and categories. With them, not only can games and fortunes be won or lost, but information conveyed, status indicated, products promoted and lessons taught.



From satire (item 17) to propaganda (item 143), many of the decks in these pages take on overtly political positions, while illustrations on others reveal much about the fashion (item 77), entertainment (item 75), and events (item 84) of the day. For many cards, their utility at the table has been subordinated to other purposes, such advertising (item 108) or teaching (item 6). Indeed, the educational value of cards is further demonstrated in the unique examples of bureaux typographiques (items 145,146 and 147) included in the Verame collection.



The importance of playing-cards is further evidenced by the vast collection of official acts and edicts also presented here (items 155-162). Issued by kings, emperors, duke and popes, most often to tax or otherwise regulate gambling, these documents attest to the enduring universal popularity of playing-cards, which do not discriminate between class, place, age or era.



Daniel Crouch Rare Books is proud to present a collection of playing-cards and related items that are a store of artistic, political, industrial and cultural history spanning seven centuries and five continents. These palm-sized pieces of paper have the power to enrich, educate, advertise or entertain. The artistic and technical innovations of the generations of card-makers represented here have ensured that, even if you get dealt a bad hand, you are still holding good cards.