FULL SET 1862 PATENT AMERICAN CARD COMPANY “UNION PLAYING CARDS”

FULL SET 1862 PATENT AMERICAN CARD COMPANY “UNION PLAYING CARDS”

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$975.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 2025-1894

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In an inspired combination of patriotism and profit-seeking the American Card Company introduced its “Union Playing cards” in 1862 and gained distributors throughout the country. The company touted their cards as “introducing national emblems in place of foreign… the first and only Genuine American Cards ever produced, etc.” Suits were changed to eagles, shields, stars, and flags. The face cards became a Major, the Goddess of Liberty, and the Colonel, with the soldiers in colorful, if somewhat imaginative, Union uniforms and the Goddess of Liberty with a Liberty Cap on a pole along with a United States shield at her side and US flag-like dress. The backs of the cards were printed in blue, showing a star and sunburst over four US flags, a US shield, anchor, oak leaves and acorns, the latter perhaps in a last-minute realization that they could appeal to US sailors as well as soldiers.

The set is complete: in contrast to the other aces, which use a small single shield, star, or flag, the ace of eagles uses a large eagle at center of what is a publisher’s imprint with “American Card Company” in a large banner/scroll overhead along with a four-line 1862 copyright notice by Benjamin H. Hitchcock, as well as business addresses in a scroll at bottom. The cards are in good condition, displaying very well and showing only minor soiling. The box is missing the pull-top and the bottom of the lower section. This preserves remnants of tax stamp on one side along with an agent’s label: “Bufford’s Print Publishing House Sole Agents for N.E. States.” (The American Card Company actively solicitated agents and several of its colorful, wholesale price sheets are in public collections, offering card packs at $3.50 per dozen or $40.00 per gross.)

The box is printed in red, with Lady Liberty bordered with patriotic/sales mottoes on one side and a full text on the other. Naturally on the bottom portions of each now remain, but are worth reading. With top and bottom in place, one side showed the Lady Liberty as used on the cards with a border reading, “National Emblems!! Som[ething new in the card world! Time for a change! Foreign emblems use]d long enough in the U.S.! Nationality Everything!”  Note: the portion in brackets was on the upper part and is not present here. The back had the following text. Again, the section in brackets, being on the upper portion of the case, is not present: ["THE AMERICAN CARD CO. Confident that the introduction of NATIONAL EMBLEMS in place of Foreign, in PLAYING CARDS, will be hailed with delight by the American People, take pleasure in presenting the UNION PLAYING CARDS. As the first and only Genuine American Cards] ever produced, in the fullest confidence that the time is not far distant when they will be the leading Card in the American market. EXPLANATION. The Union Cards are calculated to play all the Games for which the old style of Playing Cards are used. The suits are EAGLES, SHIELDS, STARS, and FLAGS, GODDESS OF LIBERTY in place of Queen, COLONEL for King, MAJOR for Jack. In playing with these Cards, they are to be called by the names the emblems represent, and as the Emblems are as familiar as household words, everywhere among the American people, they can be used as readily the first occasion as Cards bearing Foreign emblems."

Civil War soldiers were inveterate card players, as numerous photographs and reminiscences make clear. One of our favorite anecdotes was recorded in Miller’s Photographic History: a young soldier on entering his first battle threw away his deck of cards since he did not want his parents finding them in his effects if he was killed in battle. He ended up surviving the war and had never repeated that precaution after the first time. There is good chance though he may have gotten rid of them before returning home himself, or his descendants did so. These packs are pretty rare.  [sr] [ph:L]

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