I wanted to show a couple of different advertising decks for the Key Route which was a ferry service from Oakland to San Francisco that began in 1903.
The first deck was produced by USPC a year or two after this beginning and it was issued using their Treasury No. 89 brand. It featured the Hochman US18e Ace of Spades (shown on page 97 in the encyclopedia), plain edges, a unique joker with the fine print "US" indices showing the "S.F. Ferry Building" and a special back design showing what may have been their first ferry boat named the "Yerba Buena" (please see the first two photos below). The third photo shows the special advertising slipcase that housed this deck.
The second deck was produced by NYCC several years later after the company had apparently grown and it was issued using their Squeezers No. 35 brand. I have shown the Ace of Spades (please see the fourth photo), which is not shown in Hochman, although it must be one of the variations described under the NY49 listing and the "standard" joker which is usually associated with their Mascotte No. 69 brand (Hochman NY56). This deck also came with plain edges but features a completely redesigned back (please see the fifth photo) that now shows their enlarged fleet of five ferry boats. They are the San Francisco (featured in the center), the Yerba Buena, the Claremont, the Fernwood and the San Jose. Unfortunately, I do not have the original box for this deck and so am unable to either show or describe it to the viewers of this website.
These decks make a nice complement to any steamship advertising section of one's playing card collection.

In an effort to keep this information as updated as possible, I am resurrecting this post in order to attach a new picture, courtesy of one of the consignments from the 52 Plus Joker online Club Auction being held today, of one of the previously missing boxes which will properly attribute one of the two mystery phrases to it's correct picture. We now know to which card back each of the phrases belongs and only need one more picture of an original box in order to complete this online set of the six baseball poses as a proper reference.

I thought I would share what I believe to be some new information concerning the Spanish playing card decks listed as SX12 and SX14 in the Exposition and World's Fair souvenir chapter in the Hochman/Dawson encyclopedia. The year shown for each listing states that they date from 1893, which was the year of the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, but I do not believe this to be the case based upon notes from the April 15, 1897 meeting of the Price Committee of USPC whose members consisted of John Omwake, Stanley A. Cohen and R.H. McCutcheon. In this meeting, two resolutions were put into effect concerning the introduction of two new brands of Spanish playing cards as follows:

Resolution # 69, Cincinnati, April 15, 1897
Resolved, that Branch 1 be authorized to engrave plates and make a new brand of Spanish cards called No. 71, Los Leones, same to be listed in Class "C."

Resolution # 70, Cincinnati, April 15, 1897
Resolved, that Branch 1 be authorized to engrave faces and backs for a new brand of Spanish cards, for Colombia and other South American countries, same to be called No. 81, Colombiano, and listed in Class "C."

This would seem to be all of the proof needed to certify the origins of these two brands of Spanish playing cards. Apparently, the creation of new brands of playing cards takes some time before they can be offered for sale, thus, it is not surprising to see that both of these brands are not listed in the USPC price list for the season beginning on July 1, 1897 but they do appear in the price list for the following season beginning on January 1, 1898 in the Class C section at $42 per gross which is the same for all of the other plain edge brands in this class with the exception of Capitol # 188, Skat # 2 and Gaigel # 3 which were cheaper.

The description for the Colombiano # 81 (Spanish Cards) from the January 1, 1898 Wholesale Price List reads as follows:
"Specially engraved faces, after the style used in Colombia and adjacent countries; genuine parchment stock; possesses all the finest Spanish qualities; permanent colors; made in three sizes - 2 7/16 x 3 11/16, 2 3/8 x 3 5/8 and 2 1/4 x 3 1/2; hard surface finish; full packs, 48 cards."
The middle size is referred to as Barcelona size.

Pictured below are the front and back of the original box for SX12, the back design from the deck in my collection which took me many years to find, and the two of Earthen Bowls which is most interesting because it provides the name of the designer of this deck, Eduardo Espinosa Guzman, who appears to have been a Colombian printer although I would recommend that those interested readers with superior research skills to mine try to unearth some more information about him, perhaps, even enough to write a separate article. The back design is known as "Tangle" and was available in Black, Blue and Red.

The top and bottom sides of the OB read as follows:
 "Premiado en Cuantas" on top followed by "Exposiciones se ha Presentado" on the bottom which, when combined into one sentence, roughly translates into "Awarded in many Expositions where it has been Presented."
One of the side panels reads "Superiores a los Mejores Naipes Espanoles" which translates into "Superior to the Best Spanish Playing Cards." The remaining side panel simply reads USPC in English. Although the back of the box reads "La Gran Exposicion Universal, Chicago", I believe that this refers to the fact that USPC was awarded medals at the 1893 World's Fair for their products at that time and not for this particular deck which did not exist then.

Given all of the above new information, it may be the case that both the SX12 and SX14 designations should be changed to new "US" designations now that neither of them is shown to be directly connected to the Columbian Exposition. Of course, this may create confusion where none currently exists but it would be a treatment similar to the former SR13 designation being given the new S84 designation once it was proven that that deck was not a souvenir made for the Great Northern Railway but was, instead, made as a souvenir of The Great Northwest.

This posting is an attempt at clarifying some of the numbers that often appear on various Aces of Spades among the many brands issued by NYCC. I found this information in a couple of mint decks that still contained the accompanying slips of paper inserted into their respective boxes. This represented one of the ways in which NYCC tried to improve their customer service and guarantee satisfaction.
The first two photographs show the front and back of one of these slips that indicate which sorter at the factory assembled the deck and placed it in it's OB. You will note the numbers "9" on the front and the stamped number "84" on the back. This slip was inserted into a NYCC deck with their celebrated Angel back and a tax stamp dated 1899 so this was the practice at around that time.
The third photograph shows a slip of paper that was inserted into a deck of Triton brand playing cards. Although the tax stamp for this deck is intact, the red cancellation is indistinct and so I cannot identify the date which would tell us when NYCC instituted this new practice of identifying which sorter handled any given deck.
The fourth picture shows the Ace of Spades where we can see the stamped numbers "5 8 4" in the lower right hand corner representing the new way of identifying which sorter handled this deck. Unfortunately, I am unable to determine the significance, if any, of the printed number "713" at the base of this card.
The fifth picture shows the wonderful back design for this deck entitled "Flower Dance" which shows a performer adorned in what appears to be colorful Japanese attire compete with handfuls, and a hat full, of flowers. If anyone can determine when this design was issued then we can determine the circa date when NYCC changed their method of identifying which sorter handled which deck and what measures would have been called for when the incorrect deck was returned to them for replacement.

Here are some pictures of the front of the original box and several cards from this political game. Once again, I apologize for the indistinct quality of these pictures but, hopefully, something is better than nothing. Unfortunately, my original box is in dark red which is hard to photograph and, of course, there has to be a paper pull disturbing the central image of the hand of cards. The next picture is of the card back which is an interesting design consisting of money bags and scrollwork with what looks like the inventor's initials (G.R.C.?) in the center oval. The deck consists of 52 cards, 45 of which are numbered sequentially in the order in which each state joined the union (Delaware # 1 - Utah # 45). The remaining 7 cards are photographed below and they are Flag, President, 2 Labor cards and 3 Trust cards. Unfortunately, my example lacks the instructions but they are probably similar to other political card games that were issued during that era (1896-1904). I look forward to your upcoming article.

Here is the second set of 3 photos of playing card wrapper non-tax stamps from some more obscure manufacturers although there is a 10-Cent tax stamp shown accompanying two of the company stamps for decks that were issued during the 1920's.
The first photo shows a stamp from the Kalamazoo PCC which appears on the wrapper from a deck of Smart Set # 400 Picture Series featuring the frequently encountered named back Sweethearts but this early example has no border.
The second photo shows a stamp from the Pyramid PCC which is partially covered by an RF19 10-Cent tax stamp which would date this deck of Home Run cards (Hochman PY4) to about 1924.
The third photo shows a stamp from the Independent Card Corporation which has a slightly later variation of the 10-Cent tax stamp in the vicinity and appears on the wrapper from a deck (Hochman MSW89) which came in one of their well-known metal cases issued circa 1926.

I do not know if this will help you to identify your deck, which I am happy to be able to see, but here is it's matching joker with the title "The Vogue". It looks as if it might have been a brand issued by one of the Midland PCC companies some time during the 1920's but this is just my speculation.

The complete deck consisted of 57 cards in total = 4 Bouquet cards (or Aces), 4 Kings, 4 Queens, 4 Maids and 4 each of the ranks 2-11 plus the single Jack Frost card. The original box in which it was issued contained just this one deck as that was all that was needed to play either game. You are welcome to use any or all of my photos in your story but I seek no credit for having supplied them. I am glad to be able to contribute to the increased knowledge of other collectors. I am quite surprised to hear that the court cards do not show royal personages but were simply local townspeople that she knew. That certainly makes this deck something of a local or regional issue and I wonder how widely this game was circulated. I am also left to wonder how the sentence, or erroneous assumption,  that "The court cards are the reigning royalty of the day." got into the NS10 listing in the Hochman encyclopedia as well as the incorrect title "Bouquet Playing Cards" and incorrect date of 1901. Nevertheless, I shall look forward to your upcoming story about the creator of this unusual game.

Here are pictures of both the top and bottom of the original box for this very interesting card game. The box only contains a single deck but came with two sets of separate instructions, one for each game that could be played with the same deck. One game is called The Royal "400" and the other is the game of Royalty. Both are copyrighted 1909. I am also showing a picture of the 53rd card which could be treated as a joker and, as you can see, is called Jack Frost. It would be nice if, in the course of your research about Alice D. Ley of Wayne, Nebraska and, presumably this game itself, who is the royal personage who appears on each of the court cards.

Given that the "From The Patent Files" page in this month's edition of Card Culture pertains to this deck, I thought the timing was right for me to provide some additional information about this interesting WWI deck whose W24 listing is found in Chapter 20 on page 221 of The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards by Tom and Judy Dawson. Readers of this post should also visit Dave Seaney's informative website fpopc.weebly.com and click on the title "Freedom Playing Cards" shown in the left-hand Menu column in order to provide a point of reference.

I have 3 examples of this deck in my collection and each one of them is different. The first deck appears to have been made by USPC as it has a USPC "10-4-17 7 CENTS" overprint on the tax stamp (TS). I am not an authority on tax stamps, when and how long they were used, but I do find it odd that this TS has a cancellation date that is earlier than the patent date of December 18, 1917 for this deck. This deck also comes in a much plainer OB than the one shown on the fpopc website (please see 1st photo shown below). I found it interesting to note that the top and bottom of this OB state "Ivory Trade Mark" referring to the finish. This is also found on the ends of selected OB's for Bicycle playing cards. This deck has the reversible "Statue of Liberty back with rays" in blue (please refer to the fpopc website for a picture of this back in red). The Ace of Spades is also much plainer than the more decorative ace shown in the encyclopedia and on the fpopc website (please see 2nd photo shown below). As an aside, the other 3 aces in the deck are all standard. The court cards, which repeat in each suit, all show the patent date but are slightly different renditions of Uncle Sam for the kings, Lady Liberty for the queens and a soldier only for the jacks instead of both a soldier and a sailor (please see remaining 3 photos shown below). The reader is encouraged to compare these courts to the ones shown on the fpopc website in order to note the subtle differences. The accompanying joker is the one with the donkey on the dock in between a soldier and a sailor which is already shown on the fpopc website at the top of that article. All of this would seem to indicate that this example is the earliest of the 3 in my collection.

The second deck is the exact same deck which is shown in the article on the fpopc website with the exception that the backs are the same as the one shown in the Card Culture article, but in blue. Again, the 3 aces other than the spade ace are standard. This deck appears to be slightly later than the first deck as it has a TS with a rare cancellation of "L.P.H. 6-9-19" in black with an 8 Cts. overprint in red. This would seem to indicate that this particular deck was manufactured by the short-lived (1 year) Logan Printing House of Chicago. The top and bottom of the OB state "Rapid Shuffle" and "Super-Glaze" respectively. I have only found the "Rapid Shuffle" phrase used on decks made by Midland PCC and their related companies and, strangely, Independent Card Corporation of Johnstown, PA. This deck comes with the "world sweeping away the crowns" joker which does not have the patent date on it and is already shown on the fpopc website as well as on page 13 of the second edition of the supplement to the encyclopedia. The cards also appear to have a linen-like finish.

The third deck is the same as the second deck as far as the designs found on the Ace of Spades, court cards and joker but this back design in red is the same as the one shown in the Card Culture article. The wording on the OB is also identical but these cards have a smooth finish. Based upon the printing on this TS, this deck appears to be the latest of the 3 in my collection. Unfortunately, the cancellation is way off-center but I can make out the numbers 1, 2 and 5 and the letters M, P and Co. which would seem to indicate that this deck was made by Midland PCC but at what address and in what year, I am unable to state with any degree of certainty.

I thought I would provide additional pictures of the front of the OB and the card back design. Unfortunately, I lack both the technology and the ability to provide better pictures here as I have neither a scanner nor any device other than my laptop single camera available to me for these purposes. On the other hand, I am of the belief that something is better than nothing, at least in this instance.

On page 21 in the June 2014 issue of Clear the Decks (Volume XXVIII, Number 2) under the heading "A New Discovery" I brought to the 52 Plus Joker Club's attention a previously unknown variation of the Bicycle Racer back which was noticeably different from the familiar Racer # 1 back. At that time, it was only speculated that this was an example of the very first printing of the Racer back in 1895 based upon the use of the US8b Ace of Spades, jester hat joker and original box from that period. Today, I am pleased to be able to update and upgrade this speculation into a confirmation. I am finally able to do this because I have uncovered an advertisement for Bicycle playing cards that shows this very same back design (please see picture below). This advertisement is contained in one of USPC's numerous playing card booklets, this one entitled "National Method of Duplicate Whist" which contains 40 pages of rules and laws pertaining to the game of whist followed by their customary 4 pages of advertising at the back. The inside back cover shows their Wholesale Price List No. 7 dated July 1st, 1896. In a different version of a whist handbook which was the 10th edition, copyrighted 1897, less than a year later, this same advertisement for Bicycle playing cards appears in the back pages but this particular version of the Racer back has now been replaced with the well-known and commonly seen Rider back.

In the words of Monty Python, "...and now for something completely different." Today, I thought I would share pictures of 3 original playing card costume designs all signed and dated "Wilhelm 88". I acquired these some time ago, not knowing what they were, but appreciating their beauty, artistic skill and playing card theme. In trying to figure out what these were, I was aided by some very small wording around the central spade pip shown on the spade figure which read "Theatre Royal Drury Lane". I looked up both this theater and the artist's name online and discovered that Wilhelm was the name used by a well-known English costume designer originally born as William Charles John Pitcher in 1858. He created numerous costume designs for many dramatic productions and for several different theaters. These 3 pieces, then, are original costume designs from 1888 but I do not know for what production. The Victoria & Albert Museum has a similar beautiful piece, signed and dated the same, in it's collection for the role of the Queen of Spades in the December 1888 Theatre Royal Drury Lane production of the English children's tale and pantomime, Babes in the Wood which, as serious playing card collectors know, has it's own American deck listed as SE1 in the Hochman encyclopedia which commemorates the 75th performance of this show at the Boston Theatre on January 10th, 1893. I have been unable to determine, though, whether these 3 designs are for characters in that same production. Although these images look like jacks or knaves to me, they are entitled "10 Spades", "Diamonds 10" and "10. Halberdier Pages Clubs", respectively. Obviously, the character with what appears to be a sandwich board featuring the 10 of Diamonds without indices makes the most sense to me in relation to it's title. The back of each of these 3 pieces has names and numbers written in pencil but, again, I cannot determine if these represent additional playing card characters or actor's names from that specific production. The other thing that I also do not know here is whether or not there exists an image for a heart character so that all 4 suits might be represented. Be that as it may, I find them to be particularly beautiful and a worthy addition to any collection.