Most Famous Playing Card Brands

Cards from the US Playing Card Company

The United States Playing Card Company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of playing cards. It was founded in 1867. The company was headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, but later moved to Erlanger, Kentucky.

Official website: www.usplayingcard.com

The founder of the company was Robert Morgan, but a very important role in its history was played by Samuel Murray. He was the author of several inventions, which helped to organize manufacturing and gain the leading positions.

Nowadays the US Playing Card Company manufactures playing cards of several popular brands that are used worldwide. Let's take a brief look at the major brands. To be sure, many of them are familiar to you.

Bicycle

These legendary cards that have become the hallmark of the US Playing Card Company have been sold since 1885. They are common at many modern casinos.

Any dealer or experienced player most likely held them in his hands. Dealers appreciate them for their convenience. Cards are soft and pleasant to the touch, so that it is easy to shuffle and deal them.

Bicycle is a traditional deck of the so-called French type that consists of 52 basic cards with two added jokers and two information cards. An angel riding a bicycle is usually depicted on the back.

Many variations of Bicycle Playing Cards with all kinds of differences are available. The company periodically releases anniversary decks, which are considered to be particularly valuable among collectors.

It is interesting to note that they are appreciated not only by the gambling operators but also by magicians. Many famous illusionists worked with Bicycle decks.

More information about this brand can be found on the official website www.bicyclecards.com.

Bee

This is the other well-known brand of playing cards that is in great demand among gambling operators. The US Playing Card Company started manufacturing them in 1892. This fact explains the presence of 92 on an ace of spades.

Bee Cards were initially intended for casinos. These cards are slightly more expensive than Bicycle but are more durable, which explains their popularity. Certain skills are required to handle them, so it may seem to be difficult for novice dealers to use them.

Bee decks can often be observed in movies and on TV. Many professional gamblers and magicians prefer this brand.

Aviator

This brand appeared in commemoration of the aviator Charles Lindbergh. The US Playing Card Company started releasing these decks in 1927 after the Lindbergh’s first trans-Atlantic flight.

Aviator Cards are cheaper than the above-mentioned brands and have low wear resistance. Therefore, they are rarely used at casinos. However they are very popular among fans of playing with friends, when there is no need to fear cheaters.

Tally-Ho

Cards of this brand have been sold since 1885. Initially, they were manufactured by Andrew Dougherty, but later the US Playing Card Company acquired his company and continued to print Tally-Ho decks.

This is probably the most popular brand among professional magicians and fans of card tricks. They can be often seen in video tutorials on this topic and movies about magicians.

Fournier

This is another brand of ancient playing cards that Naipes Heraclio Fournier has been printing since 1868. It was purchased by the US Playing Card Company that continued to manufacture decks of this brand.

Fournier Cards are available only in the plastic version. To be sure, it's more difficult to shuffle and deal them, but they wear out very slowly. They can be washed and it is difficult for card sharps to mark them.

Note that it is a quite popular brand in the post-Soviet states.

Maverick

These cards are primarily intended for poker. They are available in a standard format, covered with plastic and are provided in two colors: blue and red.

HOYLE

HOYLE has been famous in the world of gambling since the eighteenth century. The US Playing Card Company manufactures fine cards with a special covering and stylish design under this title.

KEM

The company positions KEM as elite cards for the most addicted gamblers. Therefore, they have the highest quality and are very expensive. They are extremely resistant to damage. They can even be washed.

Other Brands

The USPCC used to release such playing card brands as Army&Navy, Poker Peek, Congress, Aristocrat, etc. However nowadays information about these brands is not available on the official website of the company.

Dal Negro Playing Cards

The Italian company Dal Negro is a huge manufacturer of various types of cards, including decks for casinos and tarot. It also develops all kinds of board games, including backgammon or chess, roulette wheels, and even children's toys. Its history dates back to 1756. Nowadays it continues to grow successfully.

The website DalNegro.com offers a full range of playing cards and other products of this brand. Users can often find plastic decks of this brand at casinos of post-Soviet countries. They have a good quality, although inexperienced croupiers and novice customers may find them slippery.

Piatnik Playing Cards

The Austrian company Wiener Spielkartenfabrik Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne was founded in 1824 by Anton Moser. After his death the company was headed by Ferdinand Piatnik. As soon as he died, his sons started to lead this company.

Initially, Piatnik was engaged in manufacturing cards, but in recent decades this company has released various board games, puzzles, and other arcade games that correspond to the motto of the company: "Those who do not gamble, take themselves too seriously."

Frankly speaking, the author of this article did not play using cards from Piatnik in casinos, but various collectible card decks and gift sets of this manufacturer are ubiquitous. The company offers a huge range of thematic cards devoted to various topics. In short, this is a great manufacturer for collectors.

It is possible to familiarize yourself with the range of cards on the official site www.piatnik.com.

Conclusion

Other well-known and promising manufacturers of playing cards for casinos, poker rooms, and other establishments with this type of products are discussed in the second part of this article that will be published later.

If you want to share your personal experience concerning the use of certain cards or talk about the work/play at casinos, do this in the comments.

If you have come across decks of different brands, tell us about your favorite ones and those that you find low-quality. Any interesting stories are welcomed.