Vintage 1970s "Chansons à Boire" Card Game – Vins Carrousel

Step back into the jovial spirit of the 1970s with this rare French advertising card game, created to promote Vins Carrousel. This complete 33-card deck features lively illustrations on the front and the full lyrics of traditional and bawdy French drinking songs on the reverse. Perfect for collectors of vintage games, lovers of French culture, or anyone who enjoys a touch of cheeky humor with their wine.

Publisher: Vins Carrousel (Advertising deck)
Era: 1970s
Theme: French drinking songs (chansons à boire)
Cards: 33 (complete) – each card numbered with song title & colorful illustration on one side, lyrics and game instructions on the other
Card size: 11.5 × 7.5 cm
Condition: Cards in excellent, near mint condition; box shows some wear from storage (as pictured)
Language: French
Packaging: Original box included (slightly worn)

A nostalgic and fun collectible — perfect for display, conversation, or even singing along with friends over a good bottle of wine!

This delightful deck celebrates the rich artistic tradition of the Imagerie d'Épinal, renowned for its colorful popular prints from the 19th century. Produced in collaboration with Grimaud in 1991, the deck brings together some of the most charming illustrations from the archives of the Imagerie Pellerin des Vosges. Each card depicts whimsical characters, fairy-tale figures, and folkloric scenes, blending humor and history in a uniquely French style. A collectible piece that connects the world of playing cards with French popular art.

🔹 Published in 1991 by Grimaud in collaboration with Imagerie d'Épinal S.A.
🔹 Deck of 55 cards featuring colorful historical and folkloric illustrations from the famous Imagerie Pellerin des Vosges archives
🔹 Includes characters such as Le Chat Botté and other traditional figures
🔹 Card size: approx. 3 1/2" × 2 1/2" (88 × 63 mm)
🔹 Condition: Cards are in good condition, smooth and easy to shuffle; box shows signs of wear (see photos)

A charming and collectible French deck, perfect for lovers of historical imagery, fairy tales, and vintage playing cards.

A rare and wonderfully unusual French deck published by Dusserre in the 1980s, Les Saints Guérisseurs (“The Healing Saints”) associates each playing card with a saint known for healing or spiritual protection.

This unique deck blends religious art, folklore, and traditional devotional practices. Each card features a beautifully reproduced artwork—miniatures, illuminated manuscripts, altarpieces, or medieval paintings—depicting a saint and the ailment they were traditionally invoked to heal.

The Jokers and the 2s contain long alphabetical lists of illnesses (from acne to shingles, paralysis, insomnia, ulcers, etc.) with the corresponding patron saints. This system was historically used in devotional card games in France and is now extremely rare.

🔹 Publication period: 1980s (Dusserre, France)
🔹 Dimensions: Approx. 3.5 × 2.5 inches (standard poker size)
🔹 Condition
– Cards: Very good vintage condition — they shuffle smoothly and the artwork is crisp
– Box: Visible wear and age, consistent with storage, but still complete and functional (see photos)
🔹 Language: French

🪶 Collector’s Note

Dusserre decks have become highly collectible since the publisher ceased operations.
Les Saints Guérisseurs is especially rare due to its unusual theme and its reliance on medieval iconography sourced from major French museums (BNF, Musée Jacquemart-André, Musée de Cluny, etc.). Complete copies in good condition are increasingly hard to find.
Perfect for collectors of rare French decks, Catholic devotional ephemera, or anyone interested in the intersection of religion, art, and cartomancy.

The Fairy People Playing cards were designed by Antonio Lupatelli. The deck is based in part on the Fairy Tarots deck produced by Lo Scarabeo in 1997. Traditional for Tell (Seasons) Pattern pips are used on pictures of playing cards.

COLLECTIBLE
54 PLAYING CARDS
DIMENSIONS: 6 x 9 cm

“History of Aviation” playing cards published by Lo Scarabeo (2003) in which every card carries a painting representing an aspect of the history of powered flight.

On December 17th, 1903 at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, USA, the first motorized biplane left the ground.
It was planned and constructed by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, owners of a bicycle shop.
The dream of flying had finally taken off!

COLLECTIBLE
54 PLAYING CARDS
DIMENSIONS: 6 x 9 cm

72-Card Historic Facsimile Deck – Cologne, 16th Century – RARE COLLECTOR’S EDITION

A superb and scholarly reproduction of the legendary round playing cards attributed to Master PW, an anonymous engraver active in Cologne in the mid-16th century.
Published by Edition Leipzig in 1974, this fine art facsimile recreates one of the earliest surviving circular card decks, celebrated for its Renaissance engraving style, allegorical scenes, and extraordinary craftsmanship.

Each card is reproduced with remarkable fidelity, featuring knights, hunters, mythological figures, symbolic emblems, and humorous or moralizing motifs — a fascinating window into the visual culture of early European playing cards.

The set includes a 58-page bilingual booklet (German & English) offering deep historical context on early cardmaking techniques, woodcut engravers, and the mysterious Master PW.

A true museum-quality edition, rarely encountered complete and in such good condition.

Details

🔹 Artist: Master PW (anonymous Cologne engraver, 16th century)
🔹 Publisher: Edition Leipzig
🔹 Year: 1974
🔹 Country: German Democratic Republic
🔹 Cards: 72 circular cards (Ø ~73 mm)
🔹 Extras: 58-page bilingual booklet (German + English)
🔹 Style: Renaissance engraving, historical facsimile
🔹 Condition: Cards & booklet in very good condition — box with minor shelf wear
🔹 Notes: Limited collector’s edition; one of the finest reproductions of early European round cards

🪶 Collector’s Note

Master PW’s circular deck holds a special place in the history of playing cards. The originals, preserved in major European collections, are nearly unobtainable. This 1974 Edition Leipzig release is therefore prized among historians and collectors — both for its accuracy and its elegant presentation.
A superb object for lovers of early European printing, Renaissance art, or rare card reproductions.

A charming and collectible French playing card deck inspired by the grand world of opera, designed by Silvia Maddonni and printed by France Cartes on the historic presses of Grimaud (Baptiste-Paul Grimaud, master cardmaker since 1848). Published in 1990, this whimsical pack features theatrical figures with extravagant opera-style costumes — a signature of Maddonni’s artistic style.

Despite the title Jeu des 4 Opéras, the deck actually illustrates five operas, with Carmen represented by the two Jokers.

🔹 52 playing cards
🔹 2 Jokers
🔹 1 extra introduction card
🔹 Bilingual leaflet (French & English)
🔹 Original tuck box

Specifications:
🔹 Publisher: France Cartes, Paris
🔹 Illustrator: Silvia Maddonni
🔹 Year: 1990
🔹 Size: approx. 88 × 63 mm
🔹 Condition: Brand new and factory sealed (see photos)
🔹 Origin: Made in France

A delightful deck for collectors, opera lovers, and fans of unique French design.

🪶 Collector’s Note

Silvia Maddonni’s bold and theatrical illustration style makes her decks stand out among French productions of the late 20th century. Sealed 1990 editions printed by France Cartes are increasingly hard to come by, making this a desirable and display-worthy collectible.

A faithful reproduction of a rare 19th-century French playing card deck originally produced around 1860. This elegant set preserves the refined aesthetic of the period, combining fashion-plate style court figures with exquisite architectural engravings.

This edition was printed in 2004 as an official fac-simile by the Fournier Playing Cards Museum (Museo Fournier de Naipes) in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. It reproduces an authentic antique deck held in their historic collection.

🔹The cards feature:
Full-color characters typical of mid-19th-century Parisian bourgeois fashion
Stunning monochrome engraved vignettes on alternating cards
French indices (♥♠♣♦) in period typography

A beautiful collector’s piece blending art, fashion, and French card-making history.

🔹 Details
Reproduction year: 2004
Original deck: France, c. 1860
Publisher: Museo Fournier de Naipes (Spain)
Composition: 52 cards (no jokers)
Condition: Cards and box in good condition as pictured

🪶 Collector’s Note

Authentic 19th-century French playing cards are increasingly hard to source. Official reproductions made by museum archives—such as this Fournier edition—are prized for their accuracy and for preserving decks that otherwise only exist in fragile originals. A lovely addition for collectors of historical European playing cards or anyone drawn to Victorian-era French aesthetics.

This edition contains 52 suited cards, plus 2 Jokers and 1 additional extra card. The illustrations reflect popular professions and urban scenes of the period, rendered in a warm, nostalgic style typical of early French card art. A beautiful documentary-style deck that blends social history, folk imagery, and classic playing card structure.
Deck size is 88 × 63 mm.
This copy remains sealed in its original blister packaging. Photos of the open deck are shown for reference only.

🪶 Collector’s Note

Originally inspired by Parisian card imagery from the early 1800s, Les Cris de Paris stands as a visual archive of everyday urban life in pre-modern France. Grimaud’s 1969 edition is especially appreciated for its faithful reproduction, gentle color palette, and documentary value. Still sealed in blister, this deck is a fine example for collectors of French playing cards, social-history imagery, or Grimaud’s classic heritage productions.