Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-01-12
King, Queen, Jack:

Not many French cards were ever
sold In the American aTkets, CON-
paratiyely speaking, although these
manufactures were exceedingly fine
= linen card, thin, strong, and delicate,
and nice to handle. The great bulk OF
imported cards were from English
manufactures, as they are to-day. The
English cards excel in their beauty Of
finish, geometrical designs for their
backs being ornsmented with fne
eolors and gliding to an extent never
attempted with the A nerican article.
This elegance of ornamentation seems
10 have always been specially with
the English makers, and alone, or In
connection with the heavy duties, ap-
pears to warrant the price asked for
them-about double that Of American
cards, the latter beng even a better
article.
But, as has been hinted, OF late years
great progress has been made IN the
manufacture of playing cards In TINS
country, until at present 10 better
goods can be found in any market than
are afforded by United States makers.
The modern rOund-eOrnered card Of the
present make is q vast improvement
over the old-style square-eornered al
fair; a, d the manipulation OF stock in
their makeup results in an article
possessing all the attributes considered
desirable by card-players. The Eng
lish manufacturers have been trying 10
copy the results attained in American
round-cornered cards by ''dieing out"
the stock; but Ia this effort they failed
signally, SINCE the card cannot be cut
in thgt way without fatally inJuring
its edges and quality. Consequently
q couple of card-cutting machines have
been sent TO England from this coun-
try, and, by the use OF Yankee Tor
Jewish methods, no doubt our cousins
will achieve better success.
Besides the improyementint the shape
Of cards above described, there have
been other innovations in American
card manufactUr e, which have also
been Intellectually Initiated abroad.
There are now in the market "tripll-
cate" and indicator" playing cards,
10th Ges'gned to shorten the process
OF reading a "hand," and as guard
against the confederate system In some
kinds organizing games. Thus the
+rs,,1i..,o cord los O miniature of the
face Of the card reproduced i'll its upper
left hand CorIer, as, for instance, the
five-spot of clubs has miniature five
OF clubs in the corner indicated, the
SIZE oi the latter being only about half
an inch the longest way. Exactly why
this card should be called ''triplicate, l"
and duplicate, the writer does not
know. This device is to assist the
holder to read his "hand" without
opening it, he having only to SHIT file
his card sufficiently to reveal the
miniatures on eacn to discover what he
holds.
But still better device Cor the pur-
pose is found in The ''iudIcatOr" card.
In this case, instead OF the miniature,
lLere appears, in the same corner, a
figure Immediately over a copy of the
suit, thus: For the eight Of hearts, a
figure eight, and Immediately under 1t
heart, no larger than the figure. For
the queen of diamonds, letter Q, with
a diamond underneath. These tgules
and letters are made clean, "as the job
printer would say, so that, while read
lily discernible by the holder OF the
cards, they would be deciphered with
difficulty, if at all, by lOOker-on-
This is just " hat was required to frus-
trate tie operations OF cOnfedcrates
of gamblers in the game of poker CT
blum. while at the same time it saves
time and trouble Tor the player, con-
siderations, TO be sure, which may not
receive due weight from the discarder
of all games. Tie English makers en-
deayored to supply an indicator" by
placing their figure in the spot; but
this arrangement does not seem TO be
20 Satisfactory 10 card players, though
the writer cOnfesses that he has made
10 very extended canvass of the mat
ter.