Chapter 8 - The National Card Co., Indianapolis and New York

[Chuqii]

Chapter 8 - The National Card Co., Indianapolis and New York

If it's from The National Card Company and it's not in Hochman, post it here.

[NCC1888]

I already have quite a collection on my website https://thenationalcardco.weebly.com/  I will move some of the rarer and generally unseen ones to this group.

[NCC1888]

PRICE GUIDE & LIST
These are the decks manufactured by NCC before the United States Playing Card Company (USPC) took over the ownership of their name on February 20, 1904. USPC had purchased the company in 1893 but did not move the company to Cincinnati until April 1, 1900.
The number is the reference number used in the Hochman Encyclopedia for the deck. Then the names and date of manufacture. Some of these dates differ from the Hochman due to research since it's publication. Values have also increased and are only a guide.
The values are for conditions of the deck, including the box, from Perfect to OK. Some brands are followed by special notes.
​​
NU1 National Steamboats #9   (1889)  325 225 150   
NU2 Superior Steamboats #9   (1890)  400 300 175
                                              Gold Edges
NU3 Steamboat #9 (1910) Actually made by USPC after they had ownership of the brand. So I don't consider them part of NCC.
NU4 Owls   ( ? )    400 275 175
NU4a Owls   ( ? )  500 400 225
                                  Private Brand/No ?National? on Joker
NU5 Arrows #11      (1890)   300 200 125
NU5a Arrows #11      (ca 1891)   300 200 125     
                                       No name on Ace of Spades
NU5 Arrows #12      (1890)   300 200 125
                                          Gold Edges
NU6 Aladdin #1001       (1890)  300 200 125
NU6 Aladdin #1002       (1890)  300 200 125
                                          Gold Edges
NU6a Aladdin #1004    (After 1890)  300 200 125
                                            No Indices
NU7 Ramblers #22       (1888) 300 200 125   
                             Only ?National? appears on Ace of Spades
NU7 Ramblers #23       (1888) 300 200 125
                                            Gold Edges
NU7a Ramblers #22       (1890) 125 75 50
                            Company name/address on Ace of Spades
NU7b Ramblers #22        (1895) 100 60 40       
                           ?Rambler? appears inside the Ace of Spades
NU8 Apollo #33        (1890)    450 300 200
                                          ?Fishbowl? Joker
NU8-1 Apollo #33       (1888)    450 300 200
                           No Joker. Ace of Spades inside a circle.
NU8a Apollo #33          (1895)    100 60 40
                     Redesigned Ace of Spades/new Apollo Joker.
                                         No flags on Ace of Spades.
NU8 Apollo #34        (1890)    450 300 200
                                      Gold Edges. ?Fishbowl? Joker
NU9 Pinochle #300       (1892)  50 30 20
NU9 Pinochle #600       (1892)    ?    ?    ?
                          Not in Hochman. Double deck. High grade.
NU10 Columbia #133          (1890)   60 40 25
NU10a Columbia #134         (1890)  50 30 20
                                        Whist. Gold Edges.
NU11 Crescent #44     (1890)  500 400 225
                            Popular Mogul quality. Special linen stock.
NU11 Crescent #44b     (1890) 500 400 225
                                    Four Season scene backs. No margins.
NU11 Crescent #45       (1890)  500 400 225
                                       Gold Edges. Mogul quality.
NU11 Crescent #45b     (1890) 500 400 225
                                         Gold Edges. Art series.
NU12 Boston #55        (1890) 150 100 60                 
NU12a Boston #55      (1896)  125  75  50
                                                  Series A.
NU12 Boston #56        (1890) 150 100 60
                                                 Gold Edges
NU13 Full House #500   (1896)       75 50 35
NU14 Tennis #144     (1890)       300 225 125
NU15 Tennis #145     (1890)  250 150 100
                                      Gold Edges. Brownie Joker.
NU15 National Whist #175     (1890)       40 30 20
NU16 Lenox #66     (1890)     ?     ?     ?
                                    NOT IN THE HOCHMAN
                             Linen stock, water-proof, high slip
NU16 Lenox #67    (1890)  500 400 250
                              High Art Series, Gold Edges
NU17 El Dorado #49     (1890)   550 400 250
                            Gold Edges. A scarce, luxury card.
NU18 Bijou #1     (1890)  125 75 50
                              Bijou Ace with Brownie Joker
NU18a Bijou #1      ( ? )      125 75 50
                            #1 Bijou Ace with Naked Baby Joker
NU19 National Club #75  (1890)    250 150 100
                             Pure linen stock, triple enameled.
NU19 National Club #75      ( ? )    250 150 100
                                                          "Seconds?
NU19 National Club #76   (1890 )  250 150 100
                                                       Gold Edges
NU19a National Club #752     (1900)  250 150 100
       752 on Ace of Spades. Watch out for USPC version
NU20 American Whist League   (1897)   75 50 30
Special Decks
Union News Co./1893 Chicago World's Fair   (1893) 
​                              Rare Deck    Not in the Hochman
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co.    (1894 ?)     
​                             Special ad deck. Special Brownie Joker.
US45a INDIAN         (1890)   100 65 40
                             National ?stars? in the corners of the Joker.
Brunswick-Balke-Collender Billiards  (?)     
                              7 Different Card Backs   Rarely Seen   Not in Hochman

[NCC1888]

1893 World's Fair
Thanks to fellow 52+Joker fellow club member Matt Schacht another NCC deck has come to my attention. This one was a souvenier  deck used for the World's Fair. It is now on my "Want List". If anyone else knows of other decks please contact me.
The deck was apparently commissioned by the Union News Company.  The Company was founded in the late 1800's. It was first known for the sale of newspapers on the railroads. The company expanded to sales on the train and then into restaurants in train stations. They were also involved in publishing and are known for their vintage post cards.
At the World's Fair they were granted fifty model railway station news stands. This way the many novelty vendors wanting to sell their products at the fair could now do so thru the stands. It was a win-win for all.
The Ace of Spades in the deck was the same one used for the "Boston" brand of NCC cards.

[NCC1888]

THE BRUNSWICK-BALKE-COLLENDER COMPANY
Recently discovered in a book called "Wild West Bartender's Bible" by Byron and Sharon Johnson was this page showing cards made for Brunswick by National Card. It is unproven if these cards were done before, or after, the takeover by USPC.
Brunswick was founded by John Moses Brunswick who came to the United States from Switzerland at the age of 15. The J. M. Brunswick Manufacturing Company opened for business on September 15, 1845, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Originally J. M. Brunswick intended his company to be mainly in the business of making carriages, but soon after opening his machine shop, he became fascinated with billiards and decided that making billiard tables would be more lucrative, as the better tables then in use in the United States were imported from England. Brunswick billiard tables were a commercial success, and the business expanded and opened the first of what would become many branch offices in Chicago, Illinois, in 1848. It was later renamed J. M. Brunswick & Brother by 1860, after a family member came on board, and the company's slogan at this time was: "The oldest and most extensive billiard table manufacturers in the United States".

In 1874, the Brunswick company merged with competitor Great Western Billiard Manufactory owned by Julius Balke to become the J. M. Brunswick & Balke Company. It was incorporated in 1879 with a capital stock of $275,000, the same year it merged with another competitor, H. W. Collender Company of New York City (founded by Hugh W. Collender), to acquire Collender's patented billiard cushions. In 1884, the partners formed the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company (or B.B.C. Company for short) with capital of $1.5 million.

The company expanded into making a number of other products. Large ornate neo-classical style bars for saloons were a popular product. Bowling balls, pins, and equipment led a growing line of sporting equipment. It popularized bowling balls of manufactured materials, vulcanized rubber at first; earlier bowling balls had been solid wood.

[NCC1888]

Correct Location Found
Searching the local newspaper archives and city directories my first big find was this article;
Indianapolis News, 29 October 1889
To Make Playing Cards and Stationery
"Several months ago the plant of the old Shaw Carriage Works was purchased in an ostentatious manner by an Eastern company, and recently a large amount of new machinery has been put into it. The firm is the ?National Card Company of Indianapolis and New York?. Secretary of the company Samuel J. Murray, will be Superintendent when business begins. About 100 men will be employed."

I found that the Shaw Carriage Works was an old established company that had financial problems and was sold to another company that only lasted a couple years. The building was located just outside of the then city limits near the newly established Garfield Park. The Belt Rail Road had also just completed their rail service around that side of town and had added a spur to the factory. Most citizens lived north of the tracks near the area known as Fountain Square where the trolley lines ended. Between there and the tracks was a stream, Pleasant Run, that further impeded travel to the factory.
The actual address for the factory was known as "Gatling Street and the Belt RR". By 1898 Gatling was renamed to Barth which remains today. The location is now covered by an apartment complex. ​The address in the Hochman was mistakenly the address, at that time, of the United States Playing Card's location in Cincinnati. ​​

[Chuqii]

NU15 - National Whist No. 175.  Same ace as NU15, but the joker has "NATIONAL WHIST" added in the moon.  I guessing c1895.  Tax stamp on box is USPC, so I'd place this post USPC takeover of National but before USPC added its name to the decks around 1905.

[Chuqii]

NU15 - National Whist No. 175 - Post USPC takeover, as noted by Cincinnati replacing Indianapolis on the Ace and Joker.

[Chuqii]

NU19 National Club - Hochman only shows this Ace with NU9 National Pinochle, but here it is with a full deck and the NU19 National Club joker.  Great back design, too.