Most Popular Playing Card Jokers

While collectors and collection tend to focus on variety and the exotic jokers, I thought for Mothers Day, I'd focus on the most popular or most common of jokers.  I think it's these four playing card jokers or variations of them.

Playing Card Jokers
Most Popular

Popular Jokers

My Own Jester

Interested in jokers I am. This means playing card jokers, not the Joker from Batman. And certainly not those gaudy close figurines that I see.

Yet, I do have one court jester figure who has worked his way onto my shelves. He holds a nice bauble. And, except for my inlaid joker boxes, the rest of my collection truly are playing cards.

A jester with his bauble

Wind Instrument Jokers by Bicycle

Collecting cards has become a family affair. My son has started with the new special limited collector edition Bicycle Deck cards.  These were both published in 2012.

The gold desk has Calvin Tsang's name on it.

Bicycle Gold Elite Card Jokers

Bicycle Elite Ritual Premier

As I research these decks, here's what I'm learning.  A Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded on November 23, 2013 for GOLD Bicycle®, the first deck on Elite's "Premium Collection" series. They raised ~$80,000 so they could produce: "A meticulously crafted and elegantly refined deck."

Elite Playing CArds is a group with some relationship to Bicycle.

Jokers with Balloons and Men Standing Around

Trying to put text next to these jokers is a painful exercise for me since it reminds me that I have never properly curated the collection.

Where did these jokers eache come from?

What deck, what era, what manufacturer. There's so much that could and should be done with this collection.

The best observation that I can make about these jokers is that there are three old balloons and then some men.

What a joke!

Jokers of History

Jokers of  History - Playing Card Jokers

The top three jokers on this page are of old balloons. The ones in position one and three are dated 1784 and 1803 (not the jokers, the images!). The look like old French engravings.

The bottom six are historical characters.

My wife and daughter are coming downstairs. I need to put this stuff away before they catch me at it. I'll scan more later if I can......

Musically themed jokers

This page was organized as a musical instrumental with a flute or banjo joker theme.

I recommend that you click through to the  much better post on jokers with a musical theme.