Early Standard Court Cards

[HeartQ]

 I have been wanting to discuss the court cards in a deck in relation to what are commonly known as standard designs. The following deck was published c1860 by Dondorf, undoubtedly one of the finest German playing card manufacturers ever. Here we see these beautiful, colorful courts which are clearly recognizable as Kings Queens and Jacks and can see that they are based on the oldest standard playing card patterns. The Kings and Queens are three-quarter length and the Jacks, full-length with legs. Single-ended courts such as these were common until the mid-19th century, when they were slowly replaced by double-ended courts, making them much easier to see when playing card games.  Several manufacturers at this time were experimenting with decorative versions of the standard International pattern but this is probably the most outstanding example of this type.
Check out the following fabulous website for more information on this fantastic company as well as other great examples of early playing cards and manufacturers.
http://www.wopc.co.uk/germany/dondorf/. 

[Don Boyer]

This is

...nine courts?

The detail work is good - quality print job.  Perhaps it's from circa 1900?

[52plusjoker]

Stunning!
I think the post wasn't finished when Don posted his reply.

[Daniel Wilson]

Interesting.   I notice that though these are recognizable "standard" courts, they're
a bit...well, shuffled, for lack of a better word.  The Jack of Diamonds is holding the
curlicue dagger and posed in the "one-eyed" profile that is today seen on the Jack
of Spades; the Jack of Clubs rather than the Jack of Hearts is the other one-eyed
Jack; the King of Clubs rather than the King of Diamonds is one-eyed; the King of
Hearts is not the "Suicide King" and holds the orb today seen on the King of Clubs;
finally, the Queen of Clubs is "one-eyed" when today no Queens are.

I've seen the CtD article on variations in Bicycle courts over the years, but I wonder
when the courts themselves became standardized from company to company
regarding their poses and the items held.

[HeartQ]

Wow Daniel, I am impressed!  What observation powers indeed.  I have never studied these cards in this way but I will from now on.  Thanks for the feedback, maybe I will put it into the next issue of CTD so keep tuned.

Regarding the "bikes"  I believe the courts were generally basically the same but after 1890 there were some changes which have led to the court cards we see today. Below are the earliest court cards for Russell and Morgan (USPC) c1885 and the second row shows the same courts from c1915 deck.  If you have a later deck maybe you can add scans if there are differences.

[Don Boyer]

Stunning!
I think the post wasn't finished when Don posted his reply.

...and you're absolutely right!

It makes much more sense now.  And it's great getting to see the historical courts and how they changed over time.  In the previous post by Judy, the one comparing the King and Queen of Spades from two eras, I think that the older Queen and King look a little more like what's in use today!  I guess the designs swing like a pendulum sometimes, just as how certain formerly gauche fashions have a way of coming back in style now and then.  (As long as the polyester leisure suit isn't one of them, I'm good!)

[Leif]

I love this kind of discussions. Living in Europe, Sweden to be exact, and since childhood having seen the Swedish courts, these discussions give me an understanding for how the courts from different parts of the world correlate to eachother. I see the differences, but also the similarities. Maybe, with all our combined knowledge, an interactive "family tree" with courts from different countries someday could come true.
Thank you for these posts.

[Don Boyer]

I love this kind of discussions. Living in Europe, Sweden to be exact, and since childhood having seen the Swedish courts, these discussions give me an understanding for how the courts from different parts of the world correlate to eachother. I see the differences, but also the similarities. Maybe, with all our combined knowledge, an interactive "family tree" with courts from different countries someday could come true.
Thank you for these posts.

Perhaps with a little help from you, it will indeed become that family tree!

Why don't you post images of the traditional Swedish courts for us?

[Leif]

I love this kind of discussions. Living in Europe, Sweden to be exact, and since childhood having seen the Swedish courts, these discussions give me an understanding for how the courts from different parts of the world correlate to eachother. I see the differences, but also the similarities. Maybe, with all our combined knowledge, an interactive "family tree" with courts from different countries someday could come true.
Thank you for these posts.

Perhaps with a little help from you, it will indeed become that family tree!

Why don't you post images of the traditional Swedish courts for us?

I would love to be able to help, although I have come to understand that some people here knows a lot more about European decks, even Swedish, than I do.

I think I have shown the Swedish courts before, but this is the link to the Swedish page on the WOPC http://www.wopc.co.uk/sweden/standard.html. I will, next time I'm in town, buy a pack of spanking new Öbergs playing cards (they are manufactured by Esselte now, somewhere in Europe, I think.) and take some photos for you. I'll also look for some Offason decks.

 Maybe I'll do a review if there is any interest, but I'm not really knowledgeable about that stuff.

[Don Boyer]

I would love to be able to help, although I have come to understand that some people here knows a lot more about European decks, even Swedish, than I do.

I think I have shown the Swedish courts before, but this is the link to the Swedish page on the WOPC http://www.wopc.co.uk/sweden/standard.html. I will, next time I'm in town, buy a pack of spanking new Öbergs playing cards (they are manufactured by Esselte now, somewhere in Europe, I think.) and take some photos for you. I'll also look for some Offason decks.

 Maybe I'll do a review if there is any interest, but I'm not really knowledgeable about that stuff.

Don't sell yourself short.  As a Swede, you likely know more about Swedish courts used in your lifetime than any non-Swede!  And you don't need a license or a degree to write a review - you just need criteria and opinions!