(Ln(x))3

The everyday blog of Richard Bartle.

RSS feeds: v0.91; v1.0 (RDF); v2.0; Atom.

Previous entry. Next entry.


4:11pm on Sunday, 18th November, 2012:

Grimaud 536

Anecdote

Yes, it's bore-you-with-old-playing-cards time again.



These are Grimaud number 536 patience cards, and are shown actual size (if you have a 96dpi monitor). They're in very nice condition and still have the gilt on their corners. For such small cards, the detail is impressive. Grimaud is one of those manufacturers that historically liked to create beautiful, non-standard designs for its face cards — Dondorf and Piatnik are the others I have several decks of, although they're by no means the only ones (they're just one only ones I can afford).

I don't know when these cards were manufactured, because the French tax stamp on the Ace of Clubs works for 1890-1917 and 1922-1940. The box is stamped "Brentano's, 37, Av. de l'Opera, Paris"; Brentano's was an American bookshop that closed in 2009 having been at this same address for 114 years — nice to know, but unfortunately it doesn't help date the cards.

All is not lost, however! On the side of the box is this:

OK, so maybe all is lost, gawd knows what that says...




Latest entries.

Archived entries.

About this blog.

Copyright © 2012 Richard Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk).