A wonderful collection of antique playing game cards made by Ferdinand Piatnik and Sohne (Sons). The company was original founded by Anton Moser (1784-1842), the card manufacturer, in Vienna, Austria. After his death in 1843, Ferdinarnd Piatnik, (1819-1885), a a colleague continued running the company, and after several years married Moser's widow. Then in 1882 his three sons joined, adding their names, Ferdinand, Piatnik and Sohne, and continued after Piatnik's death. At the turn of the 20th century the company bought a sister company called Ritter & Cie (Prague), & Sohne are still in business today.
These antique cards are marked Fred. Piatnik's Sohne. Ritter & Cie which dates the cards to the early part of the 20th century, between 1903 to 1909 and are based on the William Tell legend, their most popular type of deck of cards. The characters of "Wilhelm Tell", the Schiller's epic, is brought to life on these cards, the heroes, and villains. Some collectors 2024 call the pattern of the deck Hungarian, while many others will refer to it as "Wilhelm Tell" or "Four Seasons".
Often coming in packs of 24, 32, 36, double-ended, and usually 7-8-9-10, this deck contains 32 cards. The overall condition is good for the age, although there is the expected wear from use. The cards have great color, a warm tan color, and patina, measuring 2 13/4" x 4 1/4". The deck is without the box.
A nice deck of antique playing cards
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Product code: Piatnik Playing Cards William 2024 Tell Game Cards Antique Card Game