The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-08
HOW PLAYING CARDS
ARE MANU- ACTUREO
Made in England, France, Ger
many and United States
NO CHANGE IN The FACE
One of the First Desideratums of a
Player is That Back of the
Cards Must Not Soil
Easily.
Easily
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
Last year more than 100000 packs of
playing cards were printed and sold at
profit by the manufacturers in Great Bril-
train. France, Germany and the United
States. Industrially regarded the play
ing card business is one of the best
manufacturing adjunets to the world of
workers As a contributor to the reve-
nues of those countries where cards are
produced in quantity 1t IS a gold mine.
At the same time, however, the expert
player who is making a record at cards
or who has a desire to win money at
the gaming table, finds little use for
card costing more than % or 80 cents
pack His objection to the finer card
is that it doesn't feel" right and shut
ies too easily. For the card sharp
too, card which has the standard back
serves his Illicit purpose of marking
better than the most elaborate of art
backs that can be designed In gold and
coiors. Incidentally, too, the necessities
which the players feel for a frequent re-
newal of the pack makes the item of ex-
pense for hand made cards seem useless
in whist games, where some one OF the
four players is likely to ask for new
deck after two or three games at the
most. Cards at retail may be bought for
10 cents. Is cents, % cents. IS and 80
cents a pack.
No Change in Fact.
Considering the hand made card that
cost from 70 cents TO 81 a pack. il Is in
teresting TO remark that whatever elab-
crate departure may be made in the ar
tIstio effects of the hack, the consuming
public will have no change made In the
conventional card faes. which has been
in use for more than fifty years. This
card face. as an expression of artistic
design, is considered far below the stan
dards of the designer of the present time.
For the person who viii afford Bible
in an edition de luxe up 10 Sl5, or even
$40 the standard card face Is quite enough
TO satisfy his artistic temperament. Time
and again some enterprisinK card manu-
facturer who has made a hit with
novelty In a card back mas tried TO make
tho face Of the card meet in artistic
rneasure-and has failed. Not even the
variation Of the card spots viii be toll
Grated. not even the asqueezer" mark in
she corners may he altered The players
first wish Is that ne shall recognize
card the instant that he turns its face,
and 10 do this he insists upon the card
face as II has stood for half century
at least.
That the back OF a card shall not soil
easily Is one Of the first desideratums OF
the player In many OF the ornate backs
that have been put On the market there
Is too much light surface 10 carry the
imprint Of finger. Then In the card
board base there are two sheets of paper
pasted together. making the handmade
card too thick, while the double coat Of
enamel with lis composition slip
makes ii too smooth for handling by
the player. who does not stick always to
this style Of card
How Cheaper Cards Are Made.
The cheaper cards are printed from a
continuous roll Of cardboard. the backs
printed first and the faces last. afterward
covered with coat Of enamel which has
the slip introduced BY secret process
The handmade article Il made virtually
a deck at n time from a nat sheet OF
cardboard. on this the backs are printed
first upon the first coat Of enamel then
the faces are printed upon the enamel.
each color on back and face uecessitating
SIS separate imprint. and when these coats
have dried another eeat finishing the card
With enamel and slip. Is applied front
and back Another drying process pre-
pares the cardboard with is fifty-two i'm
prints ready FOR the punches
II Il IN punching the card from the
strips into which sheets are cut that
the highest degree q precision must be
reached. The card punch fits into the
die as closely a. polished. tempered,
sharpened steel can he made 70 NJ. and
after the punch has been perfected the
greatest care must be taken 81 z In pre-
serving the edges. 50 that not the slight
sst abrasion o. iHreEnlarifE shall exist IN
a pack Of cards after they are assem-
hied
only one punch can be used IN cutting
a mack. There may BE- faa punches at
work IN the factory. hut not one 81
.h.s. can cut a card effectively for the
completion Of a deck cut b another
ranch. Somewhere IA The edge - such
e card an uneTeuness would serve 10
gfs-slfv 4 IN the hands 81 man who
r.lr.- t-s e use ne sack into which Il
vas placed Punching she dftT-two cards
81 the deck with TIRE same sharp punch
Arr-ver fhe resist = smooth. even
s,1-fnr. as uainfeiliTIlsle - the touch as
the faces or backs y fae Individual cards
fhsmssixes-
Carefully Inspected
Wien a card pack - Eend grade has
49, n. carefully printed and cut a. Is
r.ossfhIr. thers Is szIn TIE elase=t inspec-
t.or - each card easeranE into the box
No sraf or misprlnt ~ face ~ hack,
r. rourhnesz Or efxe Or any possibility
~ incomes . With = allowed 10 pass
psf uh@n al fhess rzeeaastuus have ben
snken - - 49, 81 expert skiil. the
s~rr Mo = rasf master - carcs may
80 q eerk inside - three minutes
rfnr urfH ans esra - nay need Tn the
game - IS faF ne teeksnE ~ the hack
% 81
ms fars faEsfhsr Wlfh ths sursrsifious
- card players - Ezzasrzf- 1ues more To-
- r-zvzrx ez-s Azszaess than almost
srsrhiur -irs. r even tae Characters q
10 r.arezs r aaF xHHaH a~H irrfrroach-
shie- sE1a Ftszuszs - s1rz-sfsrien srreais
l. rurne rlarfrs Pr a-sfaurf. one has
q r-1r - taE laek SKA pax - cards
trxtrE a rsd aaHk - 81 Nk-ly % iar
- fart 80 fhe casaF ara ask frr a n,as
has. q EresE ore. - fur nue haviu<
t-rte rris~ rsuh.aafs1a ~ W1ich ~ has
fhrrrns - aaFe azzHaTered llrk- In
tines r1sz-
n r1zrs ~ ~ Ereaf card sruruauarnts
whers whtsf Is Hzassa 10 Hark - ca~ts
49, a. Esed s#eead zim~ ~ rlays
~ rz-ar ard = faruzu ast1e how~v~r
serrtre9 he g HsaF HF##e 20 aruaErurs
r.o $500 hzpes fssre are ressih ilisi~s %
- E4IirN