Introduction to collecting Playing Cards.

Swap cards are mostly from a deck of normal playing cards. Collectors take one of each design or pattern from the deck for their collection. Usually there are a pair, but sometimes there may be four decks in a box, with different colours or pictures in each deck. Sometimes there is no 'pair' for a card, if just one pack was produced by the manufacturer, using the same pattern for the entire deck of cards. (Swap cards were also produced by Coles and Woolworths in the 1950's. These are now rare, and highly valued among collectors.)

A matching pair of cards can be the same design with variations in colour, or different pictures with the same kind of border to show they are a pair. There may even be four varieties of the one pattern in different colours. The subjects on the front of cards are endless. Some collectors only save a certain topic, such as animals, or just one kind of animal. Old fashioned or vintage-style pictures such as crinoline ladies and Old Masters paintings are popular. Other collectors specialise in Jokers or Aces.

In 1956, Coles Stores produced four separate sets of cards to commemorate the Olympic Games in Melbourne. There are 28 cards in each set, with flags of the competing nations, flora, fauna, industry, and sporting events pictured on them.

Tuesday, 11 September 2007

Reply to Ann, who asked about types of cards.

Ann wants to know more about the kinds of cards that are collected. My introduction at the beginning of this blog explains a bit, but perhaps not enough. Swap cards can be single cards from a deck of 54 (or is it 56?), which have any of the four suites on the back (clubs, spades, diamonds or hearts), jokers and sometimes blank backs. Other swap cards have been produced by various companies such as Coles and Woolworths in earlier years, and these usually have blank backs or a brand name printed on them. Decks of playing cards are often produced by companies as advertising material, particularly airlines such as Qantas, who hand them out to passengers on long flights for something to do! Some collectors specialise in collecting advertising cards alone.
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