Three packs arrived yesterday. Two date from the 1950s; the third is probably from the 1930s. I don't normally buy cards of such a recent vintage, but as they were buy-it-now under a fiver each I went for it.
So, here's the first one:
It's a #140 patience deck manufactured by Kolin in was was then called the Czech Republic but is now lnown as Czechia. Sorry to deadname you, Czechia, but there is a reason: these cards date from 1955, when the Czech Republic was under Communist control. The court cards depict characters from the 1951 movie The Emperor and the Golem, an historical comedy in which a young man who is imprisoned for selling bread to the people takes the place of the emperor who imprisoned him and eventually gains command of an out-of-control golem that is wreaking havoc. He puts the golem to work making bread. The way I understand it (and I may be wrong), it's basically saying that the state (golem) is powerful but whether the power is used for good or ill depends on those who control it.
The cards aren't of great printing quality, but they were designed to make the best of the technology available and as a result look quite jolly. They're definitely worth the £4.99 they cost me.