Bicycle Playing Cards

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Current Bicycle playing cards: Ace of spades, joker, and the "Rider Back" in red

Bicycle Playing Cards is a brand of playing cards. Since 1885, the Bicycle brand has been manufactured by the United States Printing Company, which, in 1894, became the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC), now based in Erlanger, Kentucky. "Bicycle" is a trademark of that company.

The name Bicycle was chosen to reflect the popularity of the bicycle at the end of the 19th century.[1][2]

Design[edit]

Bicycle cards follow the pattern of the French deck, containing 52 cards (13 in each of two red and two black suits), and include two jokers. The Bicycle trademark is printed on the ace of spades. Current decks contain two information/instruction cards as well.

Bicycle playing cards are sold in a variety of designs, the most popular being the Rider Back design (No. 63).[3] They are available with standard indexes in poker size (3.5 by 2.5 inches [8.9 cm × 6.4 cm]), bridge size (3.5 by 2.25 inches [8.9 cm × 5.7 cm]),[4] and pinochle decks, "Jumbo Index" poker decks and Lo Vision cards that are designed for the visually impaired. Other types of cards with varying backs, sizes, colors and custom designs are produced for magic tricks and as novelty and collectors' items.

Numbered back designs[edit]

Many different back designs have been produced by USPCC and sold under the Bicycle brand.[5][3][1]

Bicycle playing card back designs
No. Name Year(s) sold Notes
1 Acorn 1891–1943 Reissued under "Heritage Design Series" c. 2012; also sold in UK (gold gilded)
2 All Wheel 1907–1917
3 Angel 1893 Two variants produced
4 Arizona Plaid 1906–1911 Two-color back design (red/green, blue/brown)
5 Auto #1 (Locomobile) 1901–1904
6 Auto #2 (Locomobile) 1904–1913 Also sold in British market
7 Auto #3 1913–1917 Also sold in British market
8 Autobike No. 1 1902–1906 Reissued 2017 (red, blue)
9 Autobike No. 2 1906–1913
10 Autobike No. 3 1907–1917 Reissued 2015 as "Back No. 9" (brown, green); also sold in UK
11 Autocycle No. 1 1901–1906 Reissued 2016 (green, purple)
12 Autocycle No. 2 1906–1919 Also sold in UK
13 Automobile No. 1 1903–1919
14 Automobile No. 2 1913–1935
15 Big Gun 1918 "War Series", army; inventory destroyed; reissued 2011 (red, blue)
16 Bird 1891
17 Chain 1908–1910 Exclusively sold in UK; two-color back design (black/brown, blue/brown)
18 Chainless 1899–1917 Reissued 2010 as "Heritage Series" (blue); reissued 2016 (red, blue)
19 Club 1917–1969 Similar to Bee No. 92
20 Colorado Plaid 1906–1911 Two-color back design (red/green, blue/brown, blue/black)
21 Cupid - Sod 1894–1896 One-way design; reissued mid-2000s
21 Cupid - Crosshatch 1894–1943 Narrow version for pinochle c. 1918; reissued 1997 (red/gold, no box); reissued 2012 (red); reissued 2013 as "Heritage Design Series" (red); reissued as "Vintage Design" (red, blue)
22 Cyclist No. 1 1898–1908
23 Cyclist No. 2 1908–1917 Gaff card ("STUNG!") produced by Presto Publishing and Novelty Co.
24 Cyclecar 1914–1917
25 Diamond Plaid 1906–1908
26 Dreadnaught 1918 "War Series", navy; inventory destroyed
27 Eagle 1927–1943 Minor redesign in 1928; reissued as spades-specific deck c. 1995 (blue, red); formerly offered under Capitol #188 brand c. 1908–1928
28 Emblem 1890–1943 One-way back design; minor redesign in 1892; pinochle-specific version sold in Canada; "music deck" produced
29 Expert 1895–1943 Similar to Old Fan (#57); also sold in UK; reissued 2012 in Canada, distressed (green), 2013 in US, distressed (red, blue, green)
30 Flying Ace 1918 "War Series", air force; inventory destroyed
31 Handlebar 1908–1910 Exclusively sold in UK (gold gilded); two-color back design
32 Invincible (Conqueror) 1918 "War Series", marines; inventory destroyed
33 Lantern No. 1 1898–1906
34 Lantern No. 2 1906–1939
35 League 1888–1960 Likely refers to the League of American Wheelmen; minor redesign 1893; reissued c. 1980s; reissued 1990, "No. 71 Rummy" two-deck set (purple, red)
36 Oak Leaf (Leaf) 1947–1949 Originally created as non-Bicycle "Uncle Sam" deck during World War II, ft. unbranded Ace of Spades, joker; Consolidated Card Co., Bee No. 154; reissued 2014 as "Leaf Back" on Kickstarter (red, green)
37 Lotus 1885–1943 Also sold in UK (gold gilded); 60-card "music deck" by Helen Parker Ford created 1927; Krupp's promotional version created
38 Margin Snowflake 1910–1917
39 Margin Star No. 1 1893–1907(?) Philip Morris two-deck reproduction "Marlboro Texan No. 45" created 1984; not to be confused with Russell and Morgan No. 45 "Texan"
40 Margin Star No. 2 1907–1912
41 Margin Star No. 3 1912–1917
42 Margin Tri-Plaid 1912–1917
43 Mobile No. 1 1901–1906
44 Mobile No. 2 1906–1913
45 Mobile No. 3 1913–1917
46 Model No. 1 1895–1907 Features League of American Wheelmen logo; similar to Racer No. 1
47 Model No. 2 1907–1927 Used as throw-out card by Eugene Laurant; reissued as two-deck euchre set in 1991, called "Mountain Bike" design
48 Motor No. 1 1901–1907
49 Motor No. 2 1907–1917 Also sold in UK; knockoff produced by C. L. Wüst in Germany, c. 1907–1927
50 Motorcar 1906–1917
51 Motorcycle No. 1 1901–1907 Also sold in UK; copyright 1900
52 Motorcycle No. 2 1914–1917
53 Motorette No. 1 1901–1907
54 Motorette No. 2 1907–1917 Also sold in UK
55 Nautic 1919–1943 Earlier sold under Army and Navy No. 3032, c. 1908 (red, blue, green, brown); modified design used c. 1924 by Peruvian Estanco de Naipes (re law no. 4936); Universal Playing Card Co. version called "Buffalo"
56 New Fan 1891–1980 Minor revision 1894; also sold in UK (gold gilded), Cuba; reissued c. 1960s as bridge-sized Congress cards (blue, pink); reissued c. 1990s (red, blue); reissued 2012 by Dan and Dave (red, blue); reissued 2011 by Coterie1902 (black/white, white/black); reissued as "Vintage Design"
57 Old Fan 1885 Possibly first Bicycle back design used; Anglo-Japanese style design; "music deck" produced
58 Pedal 1899–1917 Reissued 2010 as "Heritage Series"
59 Pneumatic No. 1 1894–1908 Also used as Ide High Art Wheel promotional design
60 Pneumatic No. 2 1908–1939
61 Racer No. 1 1895–1906(?) Possibly produced only through 1898; similar to Model No. 1; Krupp's promotional version created for 1891 Columbian Exposition
62 Racer No. 2 1906–1970 Similar to No. 41 Vanity Fair transformation deck back design; major reissues c. 1980s, 1990s; pinochle version created
63 Rider 1887–present One-way back corrected c. 1893; also sold in UK (gold gilded), Canada, Cuba; fireproof version produced for NASA c. 1970s; other varieties include Playboy (red, blue). 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Christmas-themed cards, WWII-era aircraft spotter cards
64 Saddle 1908–1910 Exclusively sold in UK; two-color back design
65 Safety 1892–1943 Euchre-specific versions produced; "music deck" produced
66 Snowflake 1904–1918 Also sold under Army & Navy #3032 brand c. 1918 (red, blue)
67 Sprocket No. 1 1899–1905
68 Sprocket No. 2 1905–1917 Variant Sprocket No. 2a has five rings (one-way design) instead of six
69 Stag 1927–1943 Sold under Capitol No. 188 brand c. 1908; similar to Sportsman, Dougherty "Outing"
70 Star Plaid No. 1 1906–1907(?) Also sold under Army & Navy #3032 brand c. 1918 (red, blue)
71 Star Plaid No. 2 1907–1932
72 Tangent No. 1 1895–1907 Tangent No. 1a features larger center wheel, reversed wings
73 Tangent No. 2 1907–1939 Design went from 3 wings to 4.
74 Thistle 1891–1931 Features the Brownies by Palmer Cox; two versions, one with grass in background, other with brick; "music deck" produced
75 Tri-Plaid 1905–1943 Also sold under Army & Navy #3032 brand c. 1918 (red, blue); line thickness may vary; used as throw-out card by T. Nelson Downs
76 Tri-Tire No. 1 1898–1905 Features logo of League of American Wheelmen; also sold in UK
77 Tri-Tire No. 2 1905–1927 Redesigned to be two-way; used as throw-out card by the Lingermans
78 Twig (Coral) 1907–1908 Called "Coral" c. 1904(?)
79 Western Plaid 1914–1932 Also sold under Army & Navy #3032 brand c. 1918 (red, blue)
80 Wheel No. 1 1887–1907 Subtle design changes over time
81 Wheel No. 2 1907–1943 Features four-winged wheel (two-way design) instead of three-winged
82 Leaf Sometimes called "Oak Leaf"

Significance in American wars[edit]

World War I[edit]

The 1917 War Series Decks (backs)
The 1917 War Series Decks (fronts)

Toward the end of the World War I, the United States Playing Card Company produced four "War Series" decks under the Bicycle brand to represent each of the branches of the U.S. armed services: Flying Ace for the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps,[6] Dreadnaught for the Navy, Invincible (aka Conqueror) for the Marine Corps, and Big Gun for the Army. The decks were printed in 1917, and apparently only given an extremely limited release before being withdrawn from circulation. It is unknown why the decks were not circulated, but one theory is that they were intended to be distributed to the troops overseas, and USPCC destroyed their inventory of the War Decks when Armistice was declared in 1918. Only a handful of these decks exist today.[7]

World War II[edit]

During World War II, cards were produced that could be peeled apart when submerged in water. Portions of a large map could be drawn on the inside surfaces, and the halves were then reassembled to form an innocuous-looking deck. These cards were supplied to POWs for use in escapes. At least one example of such a deck is known to exist, and is on display at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Modern reproductions have been sold in limited editions.[8]

Vietnam War[edit]

The company provided crates of ace of spades cards for U.S. soldiers in the Vietnam War. It was erroneously believed that the Viet Cong regarded this particular card as a symbol of death and would flee at the sight of it. In actuality, it initially meant nothing to the Viet Cong, but the belief that the enemy was afraid of the cards improved the U.S. soldiers' morale.[9] The origin of the cards is attributed to a letter written by a Lt. Charles W. Brown in early 1966 to Allison F. Stanley, the President of the United States Playing Card Company. Brown had read remarks from Congressman Craig Hosmer of California that the Viet Cong held superstitions of bad luck with pictures of women and the ace of spades. The Bicycle design of this card featured an image of the Goddess of Liberty combined with the spade.

Upon conferring with other lieutenants, Brown asked for 1,000 aces of spades for his company to leave for the enemy to find, as an indication that American troops had been in the area. Stanley was sympathetic to the soldiers and pulled cards from the production line to send free of charge. The story was reported by several news outlets, including the Stars and Stripes; as a result, more units began to request cards.

The symbol was eventually included in the official psychological warfare operations, and thousands of special decks containing only aces of spades were donated by the card company to soldiers that purposely scattered them throughout the jungle and villages during raids.[9]

Similar cards were produced during the Gulf War in 1991, immediately prior to the invasion of Iraq by US forces. Due to the short duration of the conflict, these cards never saw battle.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Dawson, Tom; Dawson, Judy (2014). The Hochman Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards - Part 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Conjuring Arts Research Center. p. 492.
  2. ^ Knapp, Jim. Vintage Back Designs of Bicycle Playing Cards Archived 2019-01-28 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b Wintle, Simon (June 19, 2023). "Bicycle No.808". World of Playing Cards.
  4. ^ "New Two-Pack Cases of Playing Cards". Geyer's Stationer. 79 (7): 16. May 1925.
  5. ^ Pierson, Joseph (February 13, 2018). "Bicycle Playing Cards". Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  6. ^ https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/24/2001329769/-1/-1/0/AFD-100924-022.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ Pierson, Joseph. "Bicycle Playing Cards for Collectors". BicycleCards.org. Wordpress. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  8. ^ "A map inside the cards". Bicyclecards.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-02. Retrieved 2014-10-31.
  9. ^ a b c Herbert A. Friedman. "The Death Card". psywarrior.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-10-31.

External links[edit]

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