"Civil War Era" Playing Cards

[Reactions]

Hey guys, I just picked myself up some "Civil-War Era" playing cards down at my local hobby shop.

The cards themselves are pretty neat. They've got an alright back design (a little too "flowery" for my taste), but it is asymmetrical, making it possible to do some cool effects.

The faces are cool looking themselves, but impractical. The faces have no actual indicies, just pips and/or designs to signify their values. That's what they were like back in the Civil War, so it's kinda cool.

The stock is very thick, and the finish is pretty mediocre, but it still works. They are surprisingly good for fans and flourishes, though the pointy corners get annoying at times.

See the pictures below... (on the stock comparison, there are bikes on the right and a "Civil War Era" card on the left)

 

[CaseyC]

They look interesting. The design is reminiscent of the older card designs.
Might be ok for the collection but nothing I'd get for magic.

 

[j.bayme]

I remembered seeing some REAL Civil War era playing cards in Steve Forte's collection, so I emailed Jason England last night. Sure enough, both JE and Forte have some in their playing card collection. Going to see if Jason has any pictures he can post - very cool.

I also remember seeing a deck from around that time that had pictures printed in the middle layer of the card (of three layers), so you could only see that image when you hold the card up to the light.

 

[Reactions]

I remembered seeing some REAL Civil War era playing cards in Steve Forte's collection, so I emailed Jason England last night. Sure enough, both JE and Forte have some in their playing card collection. Going to see if Jason has any pictures he can post - very cool.

I also remember seeing a deck from around that time that had pictures printed in the middle layer of the card (of three layers), so you could only see that image when you hold the card up to the light.

That's pretty awesome, I'd love to see if they look anything like the replicas I found.

I remember seeing an actual deck on ebay for $6,000 (plus shipping ). There were no pictures of the deck, and the guy who was selling them wasn't what you'd call credible - so I decided to lay off on that one.

I just did a little research on these cards, and they were printed by the New York Consolidated Card Company, a predecessor even to the USPCC. They were advertised as having an "ivory-surfaced" finish, and they were printed between 1832 and the late 1860s.

L. I. Cohen (the guy who printed these) revolutionized the card industry - he developed a machine that allowed for more than one color to be printed on a single card, making him the top card manufacturer at the time. He retired in 1854, and the card company was given to his son and nephew. He died in 1860, and the company was renamed as Lawrence, Cohen & Co. In four years, it would be renamed again to Lawrence and Cohen. After consultation with firms of other relatives, they eventually formed the New York Consolidated Card Company - the name that these cards are remembered for.

I also heard that some soldiers drew their own cards on paper; that would be cool to see first hand.