The Cary Collection of Playing Cards and Ephemera

In 1976, I went to Yale College and I found it a very validating experience. Let me be specific. When I arrived at Yale, the major library, Sterling Library, had a display of playing cards and related ephemera. The fact that Yale organized and displayed a major playing card exhibition for my arrival greatly contributed to my sense - as a joker playing card collector - of belonging there.

This article is incomplete. But it has been unfinished for half a year now so I'm publishing it hoping somebody will notice this incomplete article and help me complete it.... I'm also in need of some clarifications and fact checking. 

What is the Cary Collection of Playing Cards?  Melbert B. Cary, Jr. was a life long collector of playing cards: he amassed a world leading collection of cards and related materials from around the world that go back to antiquity.  Following his death,  his wife Mary Flagler Cary gave the collection to the Beineke Library at Yale. The Beineke Library  Cary collection  goes beyond cards and includes significant ephemera, a word that I do not fully understand. 

Also, it's not clear to me what the relationship is between the epiphenous Cary Collection of Playing Cards and the Cary Collection business.  Anyone?

I bought at a 52 Plus Joker auction a copy of the Index to the Cary Collection.  But it maybe should be updated since the Cary collection has been update by a major acquisition. 

In 2017, the Cary Collection using funds from the Mary Flagler Cary Fund  acquired some of the playing card collection of Tom and Judy Dawson.  Tom and Judy Dawson are royalty in the playing card world due to their creation of the modern version of the Hochman Encyclopedia. It bothers me that Wikipedia does not have an article about Tom and Judy 

 Tom and Judy Dawson

Tom and Judy Dawson are collectors of antiques and playing card ephemera. They have been collecting for over 40 years. Early on, the Dawsons were influenced by Gene Hochman, an avid collector and playing card enthusiast. Hochman was the author of the original Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards, which was re-written by the Dawsons in 2000. Before his retirement as a Certified Public Accountant, Tom was a senior partner at the accounting organization Deloitte. Judy pursues her interests in the areas of antique collecting, gardening, and home design, in addition to having raised their six children. In addition to caring for their collection, Tom and Judy served as officers of 52 Plus Joker, a club for those interested in antique American and International playing cards. Judy also edited the club's quarterly publication, Clear the Decks, for pretty much forever. Sadly, Tom passed away a few years ago..

The Cary Collection Index on my Bookshelf

Again, please help complete this article.
Sources

 An Introduction to Playing Cards and Collecting by Veteran Collectors Tom and Judy Dawson  Posted by EndersGame Reviewer on October 06, 2020  

Tom and Judy Dawson Collection of Playing Card Ephemera. Yale University

Joker collecting resources, websites, books, groups, and museums that I find useful.

Yale info on the collection they bought from the Dawsons

Scope and Contents

This collection contains playing card-related material collected by Tom and Judy Dawson over 35 years. Its focus is on the playing card industry but also explores the popular culture of playing card imagery and its social impact. A highlight of the Dawsons' collection is early standard American and Canadian playing cards and ephemera related to the cards and their makers. Ephemera includes sample books, billheads, correspondence, advertising materials,...

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Dates

• 1650 - 2014

Creator

• Dawson, Tom (Collector)
• Dawson, Judy (Collector)
• American Banknote Corporation
• American Playing Card Co.
• A. Dougherty Playing Card Manufacturers
• Charles Goodall & Sons
• New York Consolidated Card Company
• Russell & Morgan Printing Company
• Thomas De La Rue & Company
• U.S. Playing Card Co.

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Box 33 (born digital): Restricted fragile material. Access copies of digital files may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.

Conditions Governing Use

The Tom and Judy Dawson Collection of Playing Card Ephemera is the physical property of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the appropriate curator.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Tom and Judy Dawson on the Mary Flagler Cary Fund, 2017.

Arrangement

Organized into six series: I. Advertisements, 1812 - 1996. II. Ephemera, 1650 - 2009. III. Posters and artwork, 1835 - 1999. IV. Instruction and rule booklets and publications, 1861 - 2014. V. Objects, 1750 - 1938. VI. Computer media, undated.

Extent

58.58 Linear Feet (51 boxes + 5 broadside)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.dawson