The "Between YOU and ME" Joker

The card is dated 1939 and attributed to the Association of American Playing Card Manufacturers. Judging by the association name and the topic of the Joker is that the loveliest decks on the market at the time were inexpensive ones one would imagine that it was a banding together of smaller card makers but I could be wrong.

Anyhow, there were at least three variations of this Joker and Extra Joker that I've come across and very well could be more.

The text is as follows"

"Between YOU and ME

...said Queenie this morning at breakfast. 'I used to think that the Duchess was just too, too smart and modish. But no more. You should have seen the scuffed-up, dog-earred cards she used at her party yesterday. Someone ought to tell her, the poor dear. And the loveliest decks so inexpensive these days!'

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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.

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