In 1991, the US Playing Card Museum published a poster featuring 72 jokers.
In December of 2020, I decided to collect the 72 jokers on this poster. I now have 65 of the 72. These last seven are increasingly difficult to find (or afford). As far as I know (and please tell me if you know better), I have more of these than any other collector in the world.
If you have any of the ones that I'm missing, even as part of a whole deck, I'm highly motivated. to buy or trade for them. Please contact me. john at edelson dot info.
In the meantime, here's the poster and my success - or ambitions - in collecting them, row by row. There are seven that I am totally missing and a few where I have a version but not exactly the one on the poster (ie 6H). These cards are as new as 1988 (Adobe deck) or as old as 1895 (Hartford Playing Card Co). While most are American, there are jokers from Argentina, England, France, Austria, and The Netherlands. Some are classic joker designs, others are just a little... cheesy (IMHO). While a large number are from the USPC, there are also jokers from other major and minor card publishers. In the case of the Adobe deck, both jokers appear in the poster. Who picked these jokers and why?
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| The USPCC Joker Poster. 1991 |
First row. I have them all. One hundred percent.
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| Row 1 from the Poster |
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| Jokers from my Collection |
What are they (per poster key)? - Where are they in my Collection?
A Universal Playing Card Company. London c. 1940 - Jester / entertaining / with cards
B Fastmail. Standard Playing Card Co. Chicago c 1905 - Americana / folk
C Northbrook Playing Cards Co. c 1965 - Topsy / jesters
D Spanish American War, Army Edition. Samuel Hart (NYCC) 1898 - Jesters / standing
E Virginia Slims. USPC for Philip Morris, 1984 - Busts / jester heads (with no hands)
F Mogul Clubs #15. A Dougherty, NY - Clown
G Special Edition. USPC c 1950 - Clown
I Waldorf #240. A Dougherty, NY c 1909 - Busts / With Hands / With Cards
Row 2. I'm missing X-Ray.
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| Poster Row 2 |
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| Jokers from my Collection |
A Arrco Playing Card Co, Chicago, c 1975 - Busts / jesters on a stick
B USPC for Barton Playing Card Co. C 1960 - Busts / jesters on a stick / Jack-in-the-boxes
C X-Ray Playing Cards Co. NY c 1940 - I do NOT have this one.
D Special edition, USPC 1935 - Topsy / jesters / with wands
E Modiana. Trieste, Italy. c 1950 - Busts / hands no wands or cards
F Special edition. USPC. 1935 - Clowns
G Kalamazoo Playing Card Co for Metropolitan Playing Card Co, NY c 1905 - Busts / no hands
H Adking USA for Pacific Telephone Yellow Pages. c 1960 - Jesters
I Western Publishing - Topsy / Jesters / Western
Row 3 - Missing two: Perfecto Americana and Chess Deck.
Poster Row 3
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| Jokers from my Collection - Two More to Get! |
3A Kennedy Kards, Humor House Inc. 1963 - Animals / people / American politics
3B Nagpal #708. A. Dougherty NY for export. 1925 AD12 - Busts / Hands
3C USPC for EW McCarroll Co. Pittsburgh c 1925 - Clowns
3D Perfecto Americana. Atlas Playing Card Co. NY. c 1925 - ??? NO
3E Chess deck. Unknown. C 1900 - ??? NO
3F B Dondorf, Frankfurt, Germany c 1895 - Busts / Hands but no wands or cards
3G A Dougherty, c1905. AD37. Hochman P77 - Topsy / jesters and clowns
3H Eclipse Comic Book Playing Cards. EH Lowerre. First original American Transformation deck. 1876 - Kept with deck
3I Bengal. American Playing Card Co. Kalamazoo Paper Box Co, c. 1895 - Sitting / forward
Row 4- I have them all. One hundred percent.
Poster Row 4
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| Jokers from my Collection - Row 4 - Complete! (out of order) |
A Commemorative. 150th anniversary of M.E.R. Russia. 1967 - Topsy / Jesters
B Imperial King Press. NJ c 1935. MSN51 - Clown
C Bicycle Cyclist #1 USPC 1898Bicycle (took photo of wrong one!)
D Presidents Deck. USPC for Smith Western. Oregon 1971 - Political
E Crooked Deck. Arnold Freed Novelty Co, 1969 - Bust
F Charter Oak. N American Card Co, Chicago, c 1900 - Americana
G. Viscount. Japan for M & M sales. - Advertising / Design / Joker word in the middle
H Special Edition. USPC for Kreko Club. 1936 - Topsy / Jesters
I EE Fairchild. Rochester NY, c 1940 -
Row 5 - I'm missing the Novelty Playing joker, B&W seated jester.
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| Poster Row 5 |
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Jokers from my Collection - Row 5 - One Missing
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A Remembrance. Brown and Bigelow, St Paul, MN c 1970 -
B Hartford Safety Bike. Perfection Playing Card Co 1895 -
C Bee. USPC c 1980
D Godey Ladies. USPC for NASCO. c 1935
E Adobe Deck. Adobe Systems Inc, Mountain View, VA 1988 - Display cabinet with deck
F. Piatnik, Vienna, Austria, c 1951 -
G Steamboat (marked Deck). Novelty Playing Card Co, Chicago 1935
H. Special Edition. USPC for Kreko Club, 1936 -
I Bearings Magazine (Bicycles). USPC. 1910 -
Row 6 - 100% (although my Russian one is a little too colorful)
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| Poster Row 6 |
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| Jokers from my Collection - Row 6 |
A Amstel Whist. Netherlands. 1935 - Animals / monkeys and bears. Note this monkey is holding a jesters wand with Punch on the head. The monkey is the same used by Brooke Soap Advertising.
B American Bank Notes Co, NY c 1930 - Old Valuable Vault (or Animals / lions)
C Glendale USPC. c 1935 - Jesters / dancing with wand
D Bier Smoking Tobacco. USPC 1934 - Sitting
E ARRCO Playing Card Co, Chicago, c 1963 - Busts / jester heads with no hands
F Fanfare Cards. EE Fairchild, Co, Rochester NY c 1940 - Jesters / Dancing / to the left
G Coca-Cola. USPC. 1945 - Advertising / Coke
H Russian Rococo style. c 1935 - NOTE: Mine is colored so not original. Jesters / standing
I Adobe Deck. Adobe Systems Inc, Mountain View, VA 1988 - Display cabinet with deck
Row 7 - Missing a 1896 Brooklyn Playing Card joker from marked deck.
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| Poster Row 7 |
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| Jokers from my Collection - Row 7 |
A Goodall, London England C 1900 - Sitting / Cross Legged
B Unknown American Maker 1935 - Cards
C Fact and Fancy. Designed by Dick Martin for Chicago Playing Card Collectors, Inc 1961 - Walking / No wands no cards
D P.H. Ale-Portlager. USPC 1907 - Clown / head
E Marked Cards. Brooklyn Playing Card Co. NY. 1896 - NEED IT
F Art Colo. Justo Rodero E Hijos SAIC Argentina, c 1970 - Sitting / facing sideways?
G Hustling Joe Transformation Deck USPC 1895. Jester / performing / cards
H De la Rue. London England. Designed by Jean Picart le Doux. 1957 - Topsy / Jesters
Row 8 - A Piatnik joker and a USPC clown joker are missing. I could slip in another piatnik...
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| Joker Poster Row 8 |
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| Joker Collection Row 8 |
A Criterion Playing Card C o for John High Co, 1932 -
B Grimaud, Paris, France for Neiman Marcus. 1966
C Black and White Scotch Whiskey. TDC American c 1975 -
D Fairplay. A Dougherty, NY c 1910
E Piatnik, Vienna, Austria c 1949
F Bridgeway. ARRCO Playing Card Co, Chicago c 1951
G Kem Plastic Cards, NY c 1963
H Red, White and Blue Playing Cards (No-revoke deck). Independent Playing Card Co. Johnstown PA 1926 -
I Clown Cigarettes. USPC 1925
All Together Now?
I started to try to lay out all the rows of all the jokers for one picture picture. Four rows is all I got done before I ran out of time, patience, and space. Still, I'll share it. It's a real test of my organizational ability to fetch (and then return) all these jokers into their spots in the joker collection.
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| USPC Joker Poster - Bottom Four Rows Recreated |
Why this poster and these jokers?
Facebook Discussion summary. Allen Potter says there were two posters published by the USPCC in 1991. It coincided (or maybe was in honor of) a joint convention that year between 52 Plus Joker and the Chicago Playing Card Society. The three archivists / museum curators - Van Jones, Ron Decker, and Margery Griffith - insinuated they might have created it to lure Andrew Potter (a collector) to the 1991 Conference. The other poster is a diverse collection of cards from tarot to conventional, all suits, face cards and numbered.
Id' be very interested in any information about how they picked this hodge podge of jokers.
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