Playing cards have been produced by thousands of companies around the world, from major manufacturers that operated for more than a century to small printers that produced only a handful of decks.
Knowing who manufactured a deck can be one of the most useful starting points when researching playing cards. A manufacturer can provide clues about when and where a deck was made, while logos, Ace of Spades designs, Jokers, packaging, tax stamps, and manufacturer codes can sometimes help narrow that identification even further.
This page is a growing guide to the playing card manufacturers encountered while researching the Raini’s Crossroads collection.
Manufacturer, Brand, or Advertiser?
The name you see on a deck is not necessarily the company that made the cards. A manufacturer is the company responsible for producing the playing cards. A brand is the name under which a deck or line of cards is marketed. A single manufacturer may own or produce many different brands. An advertiser or customer is the business, organization, railroad, hotel, airline, or other entity for which a deck was produced.
For example, an advertising deck may prominently feature the name of a railroad or hotel while a completely different company manufactured the cards.
This distinction becomes particularly important when researching vintage advertising decks.
Manufacturers in the Collection
The directory below will grow as manufacturers are identified in the collection. Each listing is intended to provide a quick reference rather than a complete company history.
Where additional research is available, the manufacturer’s name will link to articles exploring its history, brands, identifying marks, dating clues, and cards found in the collection.
United States Playing Card Company (USPCC / USPC)
One of the major names in American playing card history. The United States Playing Card Company produced its own cards as well as numerous brands and specialty, advertising, souvenir, and custom decks.
Collectors may encounter the company identified as USPC, USPCC, or by one of its individual brands.
Explore United States Playing Card Company articles →
Brown & Bigelow
A St. Paul, Minnesota company well known for advertising and promotional products, including playing cards.
Brown & Bigelow cards appear in many forms, including advertising decks, scenic and artistic designs, pinups, and specially commissioned cards. Identifying marks, packaging, and other details can sometimes help establish an approximate period of production.
Explore Brown & Bigelow articles →
ARRCO Playing Card Company
ARRCO was an American playing card manufacturer whose cards can be found in standard, advertising, promotional, casino, and specialty decks.
Its name and markings appear in several forms, making ARRCO an interesting manufacturer to encounter when identifying older decks.
Explore ARRCO articles →
Piatnik
Piatnik is a Vienna-based playing card manufacturer whose cards are found throughout Europe and internationally.
Collectors may encounter Piatnik cards in single decks, double-deck sets, souvenir decks, artistic designs, and elaborate presentation boxes.
Explore Piatnik articles →
Paulson
Paulson is especially associated with casino gaming products and playing cards. Its name is frequently encountered when researching casino decks and gaming-related material.
Explore Paulson articles →
Liberty Playing Card Company
An American playing card manufacturer encountered on advertising, promotional, custom, and specialty decks.
Explore Liberty Playing Card Company articles →
Identifying a Manufacturer
Sometimes identifying the manufacturer is easy. The company’s name may be printed directly on the box or Ace of Spades.
Other times, the manufacturer is nowhere near as obvious.
When researching an unidentified deck, useful clues can include the:
- Ace of Spades
- Jokers
- Box or tuck case
- Manufacturer logo
- Tax stamp or tax-stamp cancellation
- Printing or date codes
- Extra cards
- Guarantee cards
- Country of manufacture
- Copyright information
- Packaging style
No single clue should automatically be treated as proof of a particular date or manufacturer. Playing card companies changed ownership, acquired competitors, continued older brands, reused artwork, and changed identifying marks over time.
That is part of what makes researching them interesting.
Manufacturers, Brands, and Changing Ownership
Playing card history can get complicated quickly.
A familiar brand may have been created by one company and later acquired by another. Manufacturers merged, closed, moved production, purchased competitors, and continued producing established brands.
Because of that, Raini’s Crossroads treats the manufacturer, brand, and time period as separate pieces of information whenever possible.
Rather than simply asking, “Who owns this brand?” the more useful question for an individual deck is often:
Who actually manufactured this particular deck, and when?
Those two answers are not always the same as the company associated with the brand today.
A Growing Reference
This is not intended to be a complete directory of every playing card manufacturer that has existed.
Instead, it will grow alongside the collection and journey.
As new decks arrive and old ones are researched, additional manufacturers will be added here. Some will eventually lead to deeper articles about company histories, identifying marks, date codes, acquisitions, particular brands, and individual decks.
That is one of the fun parts of collecting playing cards. A tiny manufacturer’s mark on the bottom of a box can turn into an entirely new trail to follow.
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