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.

Sunday 31 March 2013

What category would you like to see?

So.....below I've just posted an update on my cats cards, and all the horse cards I've got.
I've just flipped through my albums and am wondering if I will ever get all my cards on here?  Perhaps a blog wasn't such a good idea - they do have limits, and I'm a bit surprised that I haven't well and truly exceeded them over the 10 years I've been blogging!  But this blog might be the proverbial straw....

I have many more vintage (well, all my cards are vintage!) cards that come under the category of 'People',  including royalty, artists/paintings, dancers, Asian, and so on.  If I still do have anyone reading this, you might like to leave a comment saying which categories you would like to see.  I've just about 'done' the animals, but there is also ships and boats, flowers, places, objects....take your pick!  It would make it a lot easier for me to focus if I knew what readers wanted to see.

Horses swap cards.

I was never a big collector of cards with horses on them, preferring cats and dogs, but they still manage to creep into the collection over time!










New Cat cards.

Since I last posted photos of my cards, I have accumulated quite a few more cards in various categories, but I've also re-organised them somewhat, so future photos may have cards in them that were in earlier posts on this blog.  I'll try not to duplicate, but it can't be helped.




Friday 29 March 2013

OK - the blog stays!

I just looked at this blog for the first time in ages, and feel very guilty about all those broken promises about posting more photos of my cards.   I am surprised and flattered to see so many people want me to leave the blog online, so I will do so.  I truly meant to take more photos of my cards and post them here, but life just gets in the way.  My husband says I have too many hobbies and that I'll never be able to finish anything or keep up with them all.  Maybe not, but I'll die happy from trying!
Right, you have motivated me.  I just retrieved my albums from the box in the cupboard, and this weekend, I start snapping!  Hubby won't be home all day on Sunday, so I will have an uninterrupted time to get things done that I don't seem to get around to during the week, even though he is at work.  Week days are busy whether you work or not; there is shopping to be done, bills to pay, tradesmen to speak to - all the things that can't be done on a weekend.  So this weekend will be MINE!