We have been in business researching and selling board, dice and card games from the past since 1994. Our replica playing cards are used by historical reenactors around the world.
We've owned a booth at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival since 1995 and appear at a number of other events in the midwest.
While we do not claim to be the last word on historic games, we do take pride in our on-going research, and the wide variety of historic and regional rules we include with our games. We are happy to answer questions whenever we can, or refer people to other sources for research help.
I've recently been boning-up on the history of playing cards since we came out with three new reproduction 16th century decks. It seems the early playing card industry in Germany may have had a little boost in help from the church. When Pope Boniface IX (1389-1404) extended the grant of indulgences for pilgrimages to locations in addition to Rome, Cologne and Munich, the number of pilgrims increased since they had more options and shorter distances for a pilgrimage to gain remission for their sins. So the demand for printed religious tracts and indulgences also increased. The practice of stenciling the colors on to wood block printed images even gave rise to a German saying: Alle zwolf Apostle auf einen streich machen -To paint all the apostles in one stroke.
Thus, the same printing presses that were supplying sinners with playing cards were often also printing biblical scenes that were marketed to pilgrims, thus giving a boost to the German printing trade overall, and probably helping it become one of the major producers of playing cards in Europe during the 1400's. It also seems that Germany's the first paper mills were built in the 1390's. So availability of less expensive paper to replace parchment was growing just as cards were spreading across Europe and probably helped make playing cards more affordable to the general public.
MacGregor Historic Games
17 members
Description
We have been in business researching and selling board, dice and card games from the past since 1994. Our replica playing cards are used by historical reenactors around the world.
We've owned a booth at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival since 1995 and appear at a number of other events in the midwest.
While we do not claim to be the last word on historic games, we do take pride in our on-going research, and the wide variety of historic and regional rules we include with our games. We are happy to answer questions whenever we can, or refer people to other sources for research help.
Sinners & Saints (playing card history)
by Charles Knutson
Jun 24, 2012
I've recently been boning-up on the history of playing cards since we came out with three new reproduction 16th century decks. It seems the early playing card industry in Germany may have had a little boost in help from the church. When Pope Boniface IX (1389-1404) extended the grant of indulgences for pilgrimages to locations in addition to Rome, Cologne and Munich, the number of pilgrims increased since they had more options and shorter distances for a pilgrimage to gain remission for their sins. So the demand for printed religious tracts and indulgences also increased. The practice of stenciling the colors on to wood block printed images even gave rise to a German saying: Alle zwolf Apostle auf einen streich machen -To paint all the apostles in one stroke.
Thus, the same printing presses that were supplying sinners with playing cards were often also printing biblical scenes that were marketed to pilgrims, thus giving a boost to the German printing trade overall, and probably helping it become one of the major producers of playing cards in Europe during the 1400's. It also seems that Germany's the first paper mills were built in the 1390's. So availability of less expensive paper to replace parchment was growing just as cards were spreading across Europe and probably helped make playing cards more affordable to the general public.