Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1882-05-11
PLAYING CARDS.
How They Are Manufactured To-Day
Their Earl Origin.
From the New Il ork World.

Their Earl Origin
From the Newf York World.
A manufacturer q 6playing cards in
this city was asked where the most OF
the cards were made and what be-
comes 81 them. He said: 81 have
often wondered, when thinking of
the vast numberl of packs of cards
manufactured in all parts of the
world. what became of them all, just
as the old woman vas at a loss to
know what beeame.of all, the pins.
Russia has a population, I believe, Of
about 80, 900, 900, and they make the
best playing cards ii St. Petersburg
of any place in Europe. Besides,
the authorized manu- factory by the
Government is the only one in all
that vast Empire. 1t ID a Govern
ment institution just the same as the
Mint or the United States Treasury is
Government institution here. 1t is
licensed by the Government, protected
by the Government and the net prof
its go to the support of a founding
asylum. The same system prevails
in Mexico. In France and Germany
the manufacturers are licensed, but
the business is not so much of a mon-
opolies there as it is in Russia"
elbow is it in this country in this
respect?' -
1.-The only restriction that exists in
this country is the imposition Of a
revenue tax of five cents per pack,
and this tax has to be paid ON all
grades of cards, regardless of their
value"
"When and where and by whom
were cards invented ?"
:.'The idea which has finally been
developed into the playing-cards of
the present day, as we know them
in this country, is supposed to have
originated in Hindoostan, and the
seeds which have produced such an
enormous crop in Europe and Ameri-
ca were undoubtedly sown by the
gypsies who migrated from the East
ern cline about the beginning of the
fourteenth century. 1t is pretty gen.
orally established that they found
their way to Spain and Italy first,
thence to France and Germany and
finally into England, in which latter
country they probably arrived some
time in the first half of the fifteenth
century. 1t is claimed, however,
that cards were known in China at
least as early as the first quarter OF
the twelfth century The cards in
troduced by the gypsies, however,
were very different from those now
IN use in this country, and were used
by them for the purpose of fortune.
telling, and not for playing games
of amusement Or chance. 1t is to
the Spaniards we are indebted fol
{ the invention of gambling, while te
| the French belongs the credit Of
transforming the original 'tarots,' {
|pack Of which consisted of seventy
eight cards, into the present more
) comprehensive compass of four suits
and fifty-two cards.
, "When was the manufacture O.
playing cards introduced into thi
country"
''That is question 1 can hardl.
answer. All the data have givel
thus far have CLEANED from his
tory Of playing-cards Published il
England. The first reputable manu-
facture Of playing-eards 1 have an,
l knowledge of in America was Thoma
e Crehor, of Boston, and he was burn
out in 1874. A man named Calvi
+ Bartlett carried on the business in thi
v city from 1885 to 1910, and a French
man named Vanzade was also her
: from 1910 to 1874. But the bes
o goods at that time were manufac
o tured in Boston by Crehor."
"How long have you been in tn
f business?'
h "Thirty-four years. And ther
: has been a great change in it durin
that time. In France and Spain ther
has been no improvement in the meth
ods of manufacturing cards for th
last hundred years. They use til
. same hand-presses, printing the sheet
in black and putting in the color
with stencils. The presses, too, al
small, because large sheets cannot b
printed on hand-press, and conss
quently it requires several impression
. to complete a pack. I use stea'
presses, print whole pack at on
q impression, and, what is more, prir
1t all the colors at once"
# 'Do the styles ever changer"
II "No; not so far as the figures al
concerned. : Attempts have bee
# made to change the styles of the fax
y cards and spots. but they have inv:
:, riably resulted in failure. 1t is,
n my opinion, practically impossible
improve on what we have been fami
IT lar with for so many years, an
is which has proved so satisfactory #
e so many generations. About the o.
1t ly change has been in the style (
back and general Improvement
u quality" -.~--,-y-p- -,.. ~,
n "What is the extent Of the man
facture of cards in this country"
'sProbably about 5000, 900 pac
- a year. OF that number / snpp