Here's my advertising decks from the 1920s and 1930s. This is only the advertising decks, it does not include all the 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).
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| Old Advertising Decks |
Below, I sometimes discuss the product that they were promoting. I'd really appreciate more info on any of 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
Atkins Saws 2
Bailey, Banks & Biddle Co. 2
Black Horse Ale & Porter
Brier Smoking and Tobacco
Brock Jewelry Company
Burleson Sanitarium
Chicago Denver Trucking Company-
Chlor-Trimeton Allergy Tablets -
Crown Cork & Seal Co -
Eagle-Picher Lead and Zinc
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 -
Lewandos Dyers and Cleaners
New England Furniture & Carpet Company -
Old English Pipe Tobacco
Opticians 1925
Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer-
Page Dairy's Kleen-Maid Ice Cream
Regal Tailoring
Ribby Laundry
Victor CDX Dental X-Ray Unit
Victor Personal Typewriter-
Wireless AD52 Hochman P80, #117 A Dougherty c1920
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.
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| Company Mascot? |
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 Co.
Brock and Company of Los Angeles is next. 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. 
The
Burleson Sanitarium was the world's largest institution for the cure of piles, fistula, and other diseases of the rectum. It operated from 1899-1966. Willard M. Burleson founded the Sanitorium and later 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.
Black Horse Ale & Porter
Crown Cork & Seal Co - While this is called a "Convention Souvenir" and so was for promotional purposes, the only mention of the company is on the box. hmmmm
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.
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?)
Hiram Walker & Sons Old Rye Whiskey
Hubbard Hardware
Hyatt Roller Bearings for Motor Cards and Trucks
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.
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:
My Matching 606 Congress Jokers (circa 1898-1910)
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Thanks for your input and for reading and thinking about jokers.