Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Advertising Decks of Cards from the 1920s and 30s

Old Advertising Decks - 1920s and 30s (updated Feb 2016)

Here's my advertising decks from the 1920s and 1930s.  This is only the advertising decks, it does not include the old advertising jokers that I have where I do not have the decks. I also have newer advertising and promotional decks but I've tried to only include here those from before 1935 (not that I actually know the publication dates of all of these decks). This article is a work in progress with updates as I do them (I'm trying to find all my old advertising decks which are scattered in different boxes

Below are some details about the deck, sometimes with a discussion of the product that they were promoting.  I'd appreciate more info on these decks, such as when they were published, who manufactured them, or about the companies or products they were promoting. Maybe just put it in the comments. Again, here's first the list, then more info deck by deck!

Albany Felt Company
American Hoist and Derrick Company
Atkins Saws 2
Bailey, Banks & Biddle Co. 2
Black Horse Ale & Porter (not pictured above)
Brasserie Champlain Ale 
Brier Smoking and Tobacco
Brock Jewelry Company 
Burleson Sanitarium 
Chicago Denver Trucking Company
Crown Cork & Seal Co 
Denver Chicago Trucking Company
Eagle-Picher Lead and Zinc
Full Vue Glasses - C.D. Eaton Optometrist  (not pictured above)
Gardiner Manufacturing Co. Sweetheart 101  
Glazed Kids Shoe Manufacturers 
Green River Whiskies
Hennessey Cognac
Hiram Walker & Sons Old Rye Whiskey
Hubbard Hardware
Hyatt Quiet Roller Bearings (pictured above but not the joker)
Lewandos Dyers and Cleaners 
Morris & Goldschmidt Clothiers and Furnishers
Old Dutch Coffee
Old English Pipe Tobacco  (pictured above but not the joker)
Old Master Coffee  
Page Dairy's Kleen-Maid Ice Cream 2
Philips (I have two)
Pilgrim Maids and Laundry  (not pictured above)
Pittsburg Water Heaters
Regal Tailoring
Ribby Laundry
Victor CDX Dental X-Ray Unit
Victor Personal Typewriter- 
Walkers Old Rye Wiskey 
Wireless AD52  

Deck Descriptions and Pictures

The Albany Felt Company was a paper (and paper-making equipment) manufacturer founded in Albany in 1895. I was initially confused by the "Felts and Jackets" sign held up by the rabbit wearing an elegant tie, jack, shirt, and pants. I thought they were primarily a clothes manufacturer.  Part of the confusion came from the fact that Albany International, the successor to Albany Felt, is in the textiles business. 

It turns out that the "felts and jackets" are references not to human (or animal) clothing but to equipment used in paper manufacturing.  If you are interested, there are books about Paper Machine Felts. The back of the cards features the huge Albany Felt plant in Albany NY.  Playing cards seems to have been a frequent promotional item for Albany, many versions are for sale online. 

I have tried to see if the rabbit was a frequent mascot for the company and I haven't found much to support it except for one iron Albany rabbit door stop.

Albany Rabbit Iron Doorstop - company mascot?
Company Mascot?

American Hoist and Derrick Company

Atkins Saws is the next advertising deck (I'm using alphabetical order). Atkins Silver Steel Saws: They are the "Finest on Earth, Scientifically Constructed, and Made for every use."  Elias C. Atkins started the business in 1855 in Cleveland, OH and soon  partnered with Knippenberg and moved to Indianapolis. They grew a huge saws and tools business with offices in Canada, across the US, and Paris. 

The Atkins Sawman is one of my favorite jokers. He's like a joker tin woodsman. I wonder if the Sawman on the joker below was a corporate mascot or just used for the deck of cards. Click to learn more about the Atkins Corporation .

Atkins Saws 2 - I have a second deck promoting Atkins tools. Since N comes after M (I'm looking at the code on the ace of spades),  I'm guessing that this blue deck was published later. While they have improved the back design, I think they have gone the wrong way on the joker design and the marketing slogan (ie, I think "Finest on Earth" is a superior marketing phrase t "And be Happy"). IMHO

In terms of the dates of these decks, Matt Schacht says: "The earlier one with an "H" date code (ie below) is most likely 1926. The narrow one would be later, (with the M) c1930". If true, I had the sequence wrong because I misread the H as an N. hmmmm


Bailey, Banks & Biddle Co.- Bailey Banks & Biddle was a jewelry store founded in Philadelphia, 1832. It was a high-end jeweler and flourished with stores nationwide until it declared bankruptcy in 2019 and then ceased operations.  😔

Bailey, Banks & Biddle Co.

Black Horse Ale & Porter


Brock and Company of Los Angeles is next but is somehow missing from the group photo above. This deck is Congress Quality and it's true: it comes in a nice two piece leather case and the cards have gold gilded edges. Brock -  founded in 1903 by George A. Brock  - was a jewelry business in Los Angeles which constructed the Seven Grand Building as their corporate headquarters, manufacturing center, and flagship store.  I find the joker lovely but I'm curious why Brock picked a Mexican guitarist and singer for the joker.


Brasserie Champlain, Indian Pale Ale. Quebec, Canada


The Burleson Sanitarium was the world's largest institution for the cure of piles (ie hemorroids), fistula (don't ask!), and other diseases of the rectum. It operated from 1899-1966. Willard M. Burleson, the Sanitorium founder, wrote: "The Burleson painless dissolvent treatment for the cure of piles, fistula and all other disease of the rectum without chloroform or knife is my own invention. I established myself in the practice of my own profession in Grand Rapids in 1899 and since that time with the assistance of my brother, Dr. John F. Burleson, I have cured many thousands of cases of Rectal Diseases, including every possible condition (except cancer) that could exist.

 
Crown Cork & Seal Co - This is called a "Convention Souvenir" and was for promotional purposes, the only mention of the company is on the box. hmmmm

Denver Chicago Trucking Company



Eagle-Picher's claim to an 1843 start date is tied to the Conkling brothers establishing a white lead factory in Cincinnati, Ohio to manufacture pigments for paints. The Eagle name was introduced when it merged with the Eagle White Lead in 1906. They operated factories and lead and zinc extraction facilities in the Tri-State mining district of southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma. They are still operating mostly focused now on batteries. I can't find much online about the early history of Eagle White Lead. I can find tons about the ongoing law suits and environmental problems from asbestos and lead.  Note there's lots of asbestos suits related to Albany International, a company mentioned above.

Full Vue Glasses - C.D. Eaton Optometrist


Here's the box (for the two decks) which provides a little more identifying information. The other deck has the blue (not yellow) background.  One deck has gold gild, the other is silver.

 

Gardiner Manufacturing Co. Sweetheart 101 - Sweetheart 101 is a bottled bleach marketed with the slogans "Stains Run From 101" and "Whitens Discolored Clothes".  The company started in Niagara Falls (site of the 2024 and 2026 52 Plus Joker Conventions!) and moved to Buffalo.

I think this ace of spades is particularly cool in how it incorporates a pip of clubs, hearts, and diamonds inside the central spades graphic.  Take a closer look.

Glazed Kids Fine Shoes for Children, Men, Women, and Misses - Surpass Kid, JP Mathieu & Co



Green River Whiskies from Oldetyme Distillers Inc (I have two of these decks - Trade?)




Hennessey Cognac
 

Hiram Walker & Sons Old Rye Whiskey

Hubbard Hardware
 
Hyatt Roller Bearings for Motor Cards and Trucks


Morris & Goldschmidt Clothiers and Furnishers



Old Dutch Coffee, The King of Coffees from Thomson & Taylor Spice Co of Chicago.

Old English Pipe Tobacco. Curve Cut, A slice to a pipeful


Old Master Coffee - I have an entire article on these two Old Master Coffee decks which were marketed as the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table (notice the Ace of Spades messaging).




Page Dairy's Kleen-Maid Ice Cream

A Second Page Dairy Advertising Deck of Cards

Philips Playing Cards (I have two of these. I'll trade one for a comparable deck)


Pilgrim Maids and Laundry Playing Cards - Pilgrim laundry in Boston is a bit of a mystery. If the J is a USPC clue, this deck could date from 1906, 1927, or 1947. There is a relatively significant Pilgrim laundry in Brooklyn which (per AI) which was a significant industrial laundry operating from the late 1890s until the 1960s, known for its scale and fair labor practices. I'm impressed that this service invested in playing cards for marketing.  Since the joker image is also on the back, could this count as matching jokers?


The Pilgrim Service: they come singly or in groups. The welcome is cordial. They do Pilgram finished family services, extra care for real French maid laundering, special services, and flat work. Sounds very modern.  I guess it's too late to call Miss Service.

Pittsburg Water Heaters




Regal Tailoring

Ribby Laundry (Am I reading this right?)




Victor CDX Dental X-Ray Unit

Victor Typewriter

 Walkers Old Rye Whiskey



Wireless AD52 Hochman P80, #117 A Dougherty c1920
 
To be clear, this is just a collection of the old advertising decks which are advertising products or services other than casinos, travel, or making playing cards. I also have a small collection of travel souvenir cecks (write-up tbd) and I have tons of Advertising  jokers where I don't have the decks. Here are the advertising jokers in my collections by area:  

Other posts about old decks in my collection:

Vintage decks that I'd trade away - Interested in trading?
My Matching 606 Congress Jokers (circa 1898-1910)
The African American Experience as Portrayed on Playing Cards The Earliest Jokers
My Old Master Coffee Decks - The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table
 
Note - Other advertising decks with jokers from this era that I have not included. (I have kept these decks but I put the joker in the appropriate category in my albums so it is a chunk of work to reunite the deck and joker). Brier Smoking and Tobacco New England Furniture & Carpet Company





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Monday, January 12, 2026

The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table - Coffee, Cards, and Corporations

On the Ace of Spades of my Old Masters Coffee playing card deck,  I noticed a striking marketing slogan: "The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table".  I started researching the marketing of the coffee company which led me to coffee syrup and to discover the origin of the currently popular Frappuccino from Starbucks. I also learned about the official state drink of Rhode Island. Read on...

The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table
Old Master Coffee
Ace of Spades

I looked online and learned that "The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table" is a collection of essays by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., originally serialized in The Atlantic Monthly in 1857-1858 and published as a book in 1859. 

A Book by Oliver Wendell Homes - 1859

The work is a series of conversations at a Boston boarding house, where the "Autocrat" (the narrator) leads discussions on various topics, blending humor, philosophy, and social commentary, often concluding each essay with a poem. 

The conversations are between a narrator (the Autocrat) and other residents, identified by their professions or table locations (e.g., "the Schoolmistress," "the Young Man").  It is a witty and philosophical discussion on life, conversation, science, and American culture, filled with clever sayings. 

What's the Connection with Playing Cards?

The Bour Company was a coffee and spice business based in Toledo, Ohio, which operated from the late 19th to early 20th century. They were known for superior coffee and great branding such as "Old Master Coffee".  I think the "Old Master" references the recognized great artists of old and suggests that their coffee is a similarly masterful creation. The picture on their advertising and on the back of the cards and the jokers is a portrait of Hieronymus Holzschuher, a painting by German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer.

 Hieronymus Holzschuher
Back of a Bour Old Master Deck

Albrecht Dürer Painting - 1526

 My Two Decks of Old Master Cards.  I have two promotional decks of cards for Old Master Coffee each of which mentions  on the Ace of Spades that it is  "The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table".

Two Old Master Coffee Aces of Spades


The decks have no obvious copyright date but there is a clue in the fine print on these two aces of spades.  The wider ace on the left has a tiny S followed by a series of numbers (which are meaningless): The narrower ace on the right has a tiny M followed by some more meaningless numbers.

The wider deck came in a leather case and is from the Bour Company. Both Blodgett-Beckley and Bour are in Toledo Ohio.

I've worked at figuring the date of these decks and about these companies.  Several factors point to the leather deck having come first. It's wider, it's in a leather case, and the Bour Company predates the Blodgett-Beckley Co. The Blodgett-Beckley Co. emerged from The Bour Company, a spice/coffee business started in the 1870s, with Albro Blodgett and S.W. Beckley taking over the Bour interests around 1909-1910, changing the name to Blodgett-Beckley Co. in 1921, and becoming known for "Old Master Coffee."

Since the decks are produced by USPCC (The US Playing Card Company) produced deck (like Bicycle and Congress brands), I can us charts (such as this one from Joseph Pierson's website) that indicate what year a deck was published based on the letter of the fine print on the ace of spades (The rest of the fine print is according to everyone who studies such things: meaningless!).  

USPCC Dates Chart from
Joseph's BicycleCards.org website

Because USPCC has been making cards for a long time and there are only 26 letters in the alphabet, notice the letters get reused.  So there's still some judgement involved. So the S on the wider deck indicates in this case either 1913 or 1933 (or some other year in an era that would make no sense).  The M indicates either 1909 or 1930. My best guess:

-     The wide deck in the leather case with an S on the ace: 1913
-    The narrow deck in the cardboard case with an M on the ace: 1930

The Bour Company marketed
Old Masters Coffee as
 "The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table"


Old Master Coffee - Wide Deck

The narrow deck came in a cardboard box and is from Blodgett-Beckley Co which touts itself as the Master Makers of Coffee.  



Old Master Coffee - Narrow Deck


What Became of the Marketing Phrase?

The Autocrat brand lives on today as a coffee syrup marketed by the Finlay Extracts company. Background: The Autocrat coffee company was established in 1895 as Brownell & Field, was known for its coffee syrup and coffee, was named by Frank O. Field, founder of Fields.  The Autocrat coffee syrup company, started making syrup in the 1930s in Rhode Island.  It is officially considered the state drink of Rhode Island.

Interestingly enough, Autocrat collaborated with Coffee Connection to invent Frappuccino in 1992. In 1994, Starbucks acquired all the 23 Coffee Connection locations, along with the trademark rights to the "Frappuccino" name

Questions Unanswered:

Who was Hieronymus Holzschuher and is there any significance to picking his portrait? 
How did the Autocrat name go from Blodgett and Beckley in Toledo, Ohio to Findlay Company in Rhode Island, Anyone?

BTW, I am not the only one who seems interested in this area. Note this article about Old Master Brews.  And this Instagram post on the history of Coffee Milk.  

Other interesting articles about cards, jokers, and history:

Advertising Decks - How Customized?
Jokers with Fighters with Swords, Daggers, Spears, Fists



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