More Transformation Decks - Chasing Hochman's List

If you don't know what a transformation deck is, jump over to my article explaining transformation decks.

Transformation Decks Build the Pips into an Image

At the most recent 52 Plus Joker Conference in Charlotte NC, I first heard about the idea of a Completist Collector. Matt Schacht used the expression in his talk where he self-identified as a Completist Collector meaning (as I understand it), a collector who likes have a defined and finite list of items which he tries to collect all of. As an example in his case, he has focused on The Souvenir Decks mentioned in Hochman Chapter 25. 

So I looked at the Transformation decks mentioned by Hochman in Chapter 18 and if I count the modern reproductions (which is as cheesy as can be), I have 6 out of the 15 that Hochman mentions. Here's the status of my collection in completing a collection of the 15 trans decks that Hochman lists. 

Hochman Transformation Decks - Chapter 18					V 10-28-2025	Reprints
T1	1833	BARTLETT	2023 reprint	Caleb Bartlett, NY,	Identical to three decks produced Europe ~15 years earlier, known as Beatrice or Fracas,	2023
T2	1860	Samuel Hart		Samuel Hart & Co.,	copied from Braun and Schneider, Munich, Germany ten years earlier
T2a	1860	Samuel Hart		Samuel Hart & Co.,	minor changes
T3	1876	ECLIPSE COMIC	deck, 52+J	F.H. Lowerre, NY,	Centennial deck, first original transformation deck to be published in USA
T4	1879	Tiffany Harlequin	reprint	Tiffany & Company, NY,	Teh most artistic of American transformation decks, designed by C.E. Carryl	1974
T5	1883	Murphy Varnish		Murphy Varnish Co	Transformation and advertising deck
T6	1888	Harlequin Insert		Kinney Tobacco Co	Cards individually found in Sweet Caporal cigarette packs
T7	1889	Harlequin Insert		Kinney Tobacco Co	Collecting all 53 insert cards earned a full size transformation deck (see T8)
T8	1889	Harlequin Insert		Kinney Tobacco Co	first American transformation deck to include courts with transformed pip designs
T9	1895	HUSTLING JOE I,		USPC	a clever pseduo transformation deck- see pics
T10	1895	HUSTLING JOE I,	reprint	USPC	Fixed colored background problem which made deck poor for games	reprint
T11	1895	Vanity Fair	deck, 52+J	USPC	Transformation deck. Courts are clever & comical but not transofrmed
T12	1896	Y Witches Fortune-Telling	deck, 52+J	USPC	More of a fortune-telling deck but included...
T13	1905	Funny Sport		Contiental PC Co, NY	Pips had comical faces, every card had a motto or statement
T14	1977	Sutherland-Brown		Laura Sutherland	Transformation-like

If you don't know anything about Transformation decks, click quickly to my introduction article about Transformation decks.  If you do understand the concept, then stick around as I move away from the Hochman completist idea and update you on my transformation deck collecting...

I have recently (October 2025) added two transformation decks to my collection.

Vanity Fair Transformation Deck of 1895.  This is the first transformation deck by USPC and it is very well done. Here's a few pip cards.

The royal cards are not transformed but they are original and humorous. The joker is a devil. A complete set of photographs of the deck is available on the World of Playing Cards (out of England) or on the World Wide Playing Card Museum website (out of Russia by Alexander Sukhorukov).

I also recently acquired the Fronmann and Bunte or Jeanne Hachette 1870  Transformation deck published by B.P. Grimaud.  A reproduction deck was printed in 1976 by J. Chr. Sorensen of Copenhagen of a transformation pack. Here's information on The World of Playing Cards on Jeanne Hachette and the WWPCM on Jeanne Hachette.  

Here's a quick scan (thanks Peter) from Albert Field Transformation playing cards about the Fronmann and Bunte or Jeanne Hachette 1870 original and modern Transformation decks. (need to rescan...)

A third transformation deck of note that I own is the the Eclipse Comic Playing Cards Deck. It is described in my previous article on transformation decks. There are also some super interesting modern transformation decks by Peter Wood and by Elaine Lewis. I also, as mentioned in the table above, have some modern reproductions of the best historical transformation decks. Enjoy!

Archer Jokers: A subsection of the Fighting Jokers

In the fighter section, there are sections for fighters with swords (and other or no weapons), fighters with swords protecting money bags, fighters with halbards (long poles which have sharp points and a hook for pulling horsemen off their horses,  archers (this article), and fighters with guns. 

 I love the archer on the flying horse below. But I fear that I have double-counted him since this joker also appears on the fantasy horse section. It's on the list of items to fix but for the moment, pardon my double counting..

My Congress matching joker of Diana with a bow and arrow is also in the archery subsection of the fighter section.  I keep the joker with the deck which is why there is only a photocopy of her in the joker album.  The leather box says 1899 but the deck might be from 1903.

Here's the archers all together. Many of the archers came in a deck where the other joker had a different weapon. I keep the sets together and put them here.

 This post is an effort to update my online record of the fighters. Note that if the fighter has both a sword and halbard, they go in the halbard sectiion. And right now, fighters with clubs or wrestlers are in with the swords. 

Here is the whole suite of articles about jokers who are fighters.

Fighters with swords. Or spears, daggers, clubs, or no weapons
Money bags jokers. ie Fighters with swords and bags of money
Fighters with halberds (poles with sharp points, an axe blade, and a hook for pulling horsemen off their horse)
Archers and pairs of fighters where one is an archer - THIS article
Fighters with guns. 

Halberd Holding Jokers

 Halberds: A note of explanation:

A halberd is a versatile, two-handed polearm consisting of an axe blade, a spike, and a hook on a long shaft. It was a prominent weapon for European infantry from the 14th to 16th centuries, used for its ability to fight armored cavalry, hack, thrust, and dismount riders. Later, it evolved into a ceremonial weapon for guards.

Here is the whole suite of articles about jokers who are fighters.

Fighters with swords. Or spears, daggers, clubs, or no weapons
Money bags jokers. ie Fighters with swords and bags of money
Fighters with halberds   - THIS article
Archers and pairs of fighters where one is an archer
Fighters with guns. 

Fighters with Swords, Daggers, Spears, Fists

 This subsection of fighters are those jokers with swords (but not money bags, that's a subsection), spears, daggers, and a few who have no weapons other than their fists.

My jokers with swords section starts with  two jokers where the four suits are designed into the picture. The shield of this ferocious green fighter shows that he fights for the hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds, regardless of their color.  Note his manly mustache and yellow curls!  And his fierce gaze and jolly chapeau (ie hat). Don't mess with Mr Green Boots and Red Tights unless you too are a fearsome swordsman.

On this joker, the suits have been collected onto his sword. It looks like they kebobs ready to be grilled.

Here are the ensemble pictures.

This next set of "World Jokers" goes on for a little over three pages. Seeing all the distinctions is a bit of a test to see details.  Notice differences in teh banner, the clothes colors, and the text on the page.

AT first glance, one might doubt whether the top three below belong in the fighters section. The first guy has webbed feet and a farming tool. And the one on the far right is short one leg and one eye. Perhaps he was a fighter but he is ill-equipped at this point for combat. But the middle one has a sword and some sort of breast-plate. Since I never split up a group, I felt fighters with swords was the best fit for them.

In the middle row, there are also jokers whose categorization could be debated. Two of them have fighters on horseback. Should they be in the equestrian joker section? And the middle on the page is killing a dragon. Perhaps his name is George. Should he be in the Historical Europeans with names or with the dragon jokers?

The middle of the top row below seems to be a guy holding a bat or club, not really a sword.

Here is the whole suite of articles about jokers who are fighters organized primarily by their weapons.

Fighters with swords. Or spears, daggers, clubs, or no weapons  - THIS article
Money bags jokers. ie Fighters with swords and bags of money
Fighters with halbards (long poles which have sharp points and a hook for pulling horsemen off their horse)
Archers and pairs of fighters where one is an archer
Fighters with guns. 

Fighting Jokers with Guns

 These jokers are fighters, armed with firearms.  There are over two dozen of them.

The first one is Picket by the US Playing Card Company.  Copyright 1917, it is listed a US30a Picket #515 in The Hochman Encyclopedia of Playing Cards. 

Here is the complete collection of fighters with firearms.

Here is the whole suite of articles about jokers who are fighters.

Fighters with swords. Or spears, daggers, clubs, or no weapons  
Money bags jokers. ie Fighters with swords and bags of money
Fighters with halbards (long poles which have sharp points and a hook for pulling horsemen off their horse)
Archers and pairs of fighters where one is an archer
Fighters with guns. - THIS article