Afrocentric Playing Cards

An accidental click on one of my defunct Detroit blogs made me rue the fact that I once owned this deck of Afrocentric playing cards that I bought cheaply at a thrift store some years back and subsequently sold them for pretty good money on eBay.

At the time I had no real interest in playing cards even though I had collected several decks for the artwork alone. Since these are still going for about $30-50 my best bet is to find another deck at an estate sale or thrift. Since they were produced and sold here in the Detroit area I probably have a better chance of finding some on the cheap here than any place else.

My notes on the pack were that the commons and Aces didn't differ from a standard deck, that I paid 69 cents for them back in 2018 and that they were released in 1991.

According to a blurb in the June 16, 1991 Detroit Free Press the Afrocentric playing deck was the brainchild of two Detroit lawyers, James Foster and H. Russell Smith, who joked about the idea during a card game. Under their company Blacks Factor they started producing the cards and selling them via mail order for $4.50 a pack.

Comments

A Card Within a Card: 3 Jokers and Theirs

As ruminated upon in a previous post here are three more Jokers who are depicted wielding other cards within their own. The first one is openly presenting the Ace of Spades while concealing three others with a mere Diamond peeking out over one corner of the trumvirate. On the second Joker, from a Scandinavian deck, The King of Diamonds is figured prominently as the Joker leans upon it. His poppet Joker is also holding an Ace of Hearts. What it all means would depend on the manufacturer and artist, I suppose. The last specimen from Longfield Games features an Ace of Spades as the Joker stands upon a depiction of the world as a globe which seems almost 3/4 there but not quite whole. All interpretations of this and the preceding ones would be mere speculation and without knowing the artist and his source inspiration it would mainly be a stab into the void. Which is basically what this entire blog consists of.

Tart Rhymes

I came across this excellent booklet from The U. S. Playing Card Co. on Instagram and then tracked down its source to eBay where I took advantage of the generous photos on the listing and saved them in e-book form because it's the right thing to do for posterity's sake. The booklets contains a very short sequence of rhymes that make for one bizarre folktale that wouldn't cut it in today's cancel culture. Also displayed in the small booklet are some card packs produced by the company which is very helpful towards dating the cards for novices who don't have access to the company's historical records.

Finding the Four of Clubs

Before going on my walk today while crossing the threshold of the front door to my enclosed porch I suddenly thought, "I'm going to find a playing card today." Something which I hadn't done since last year when I found a slew of them which led to my interest in cartomancy and eventually the amassing of dozens of decks. Anyway, I found it interesting. As far as symbolism and cartomancy go: "The Four of Clubs is called by sailors the Devil's Bedposts." "...in the old game of Gleek all the fours were named Tiddy." 'The Four of Clubs is a card of strengthening friendships and increased social capacities. It suggests that the Querent is held in warm affection and high regard by those about him but that he is not fully aware of this cherishing. The intimation is that, in case of need, he may find assistance from unexpected sources. "This card represents gradual growth, a day by day tightening of bonds of affection which may escape the Qu...

cardomancy

Search This Blog