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.

Thursday 18 April 2013

Coles Cards - Melbourne 1956 Olympics

I've had some readers express interest in Coles cards, particularly the ones commemorating the Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956.  So my next post will consist of photos of these cards.

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Wednesday 3 April 2013

Is anyone still out there??

I think I've done my dash this time....left it far too long for any of the original readers to stay with me.  I've made a final ditch effort, and have been photographing the rest of my cards, ready to post here on a regular basis, but if nobody is left to read it, I won't bother!  Most people seem to have gone on from blogging to Facebook these days, but I won't be going there.
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