There are a number of jokers commemorating various Worlds Fairs or Expositions. First, a little background on Worlds Fairs: In 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations", the World Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, the United Kingdom. The Great Exhibition, as it is often called, was an idea of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, and is usually considered to be the first international exhibition of manufactured products...The world expositions of 1851 London, 1853 New York, 1862 London, 1876 Philadelphia, Paris 1878, 1888 Barcelona, 1889 Paris, 1891 Prague, 1893 Chicago, 1897 Brussels, 1900 Paris, 1904 St. Louis, 1915 San Francisco, and 1933–34 Chicago were notable in this respect (source: Wikipedia).
Worlds Fairs were an important venue for education. Learning about the world and the state of the art in many areas became possible by touring the World Fairs. These were held over many months where products and information and technology and animals from around the world were brought together so people could marvel and learn.
The first joker that I have from a worlds fair is from 1878.
The Paris Exposition of 1878 was a big one in terms of the world seeing American industry and technology for the first time. Among American successes was the printing technology for playing cards. The New York Playing Card company won a Gold Medal which they marketed the heck out of. Here's the joker.
This joker is from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition which was held in Buffalo New York. I'm not sure how it compares in magnitude or significance to the World Expositions.
This joker is from the 1904 St Louis World's Fair.
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| 1904 World Fair Joker |
NYCC jokers
USPC Jokers including Bicycle, Congress
National Card Company,
Kalamazoo, and Perfection too
Also: The History of the Joker, the Ace of Spades, and the Stamp Act
