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Early American Playing Cards
The interest in America for standard playing cards dates back to pre-revolutionary times when playing card decks with 52 cards bearing French suits of spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds were imported mainly from England. The earliest playing cards printed in America centered on printers located in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Some of the earliest American card makers included Jazaniah Ford, circa 1793, followed by his brother, Joseph, and Nathaniel Ford, Amos Whitney, Thomas Crehore, J. Y Humphrey, Charles Bartlett, Henry Hart, Caleb Bartlett, Lewis I. Cohen, Victor E. Mauger, Samuel Hart, and Andrew Dougherty.
While the earliest American cards had blank backs, card makers in the early 1800s started adding simple back designs. Variations on the ace of spades started to appear as card companies sought to produce their own individual design with the inclusion of their name and address. Marked cards published by such makers as Caleb Bartlett appeared as early as the 1840s/1850s. To avoid association with these "illegal" gambling decks, other card makers began to omit their name from the ace of spades, using such expressions as "American Manufacture."
Court cards (king, queen, jack) were full length and single figured until around the 1860s. It was not until 1863 that Samuel Hart added the first joker to cards. The Saladee Patent pack issued in 1864 by Samuel Hart is believed to be the first American deck with indices in the corners, and this simple idea revolutionized American card manufacture. With indices in the upper corner, a card player no longer needed to view an entire card to see the denomination and suit. By the early to mid-1870s most packs included indices on the cards, although the old single-ended cards without indices continued to be manufactured for those who resisted change.
By the 1870s, it was commonplace to see double-ended courts. On October 11, 1875, Andrew Dougherty received patent 168,626 for Triplicates, a term used to describe miniature cards appearing as the indices on the top left and lower right of each card, thus making three images in all. By the 1880s, round corners began to replace the earlier square corners, furthering the evolution of the modern playing card.
Today, the popularity of poker and Texas Hold'em has become a national past time capturing the interest of millions of card players and serving to create interest in the history and development of early American playing cards.
Humphrey's Deck, circa 1816, Philadelphia, James Y. Humphrey, 52 of 52 cards. Humphrey imported and distributed English packs around 1800. By 1816, he was producing his own brand of cards. Full length courts, no indices, bright stencil coloring, square corners, blank backs. The ace of spades is finely engraved and includes 13 stars above an eagle and the name J.Y. Humphreys. Backs are dots, rectangles, squares and other shapes dropped out against blue background. Includes half box, old but not original. Cards in generally fine condition. Dawson, 19, U29a.
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Humphrey's Deck, circa 1816, Philadelphia, James Y. Humphrey, 52 of 52 cards. Humphrey imported and distributed English packs around 1800. By 1816, he was producing his own brand of cards. Full length courts, no indices, bright stencil coloring, square corners, blank backs. The ace of spades is finely engraved and includes 13 stars above an eagle and the name J.Y. Humphreys. Backs are dots, rectangles, squares and other shapes dropped out against blue background. Includes half box, old but not original. Cards in generally fine condition. Dawson, 19, U29a.