Brepols "Red Cross" Playing Cards, c.1952

Brepols "Red Cross" Playing Cards, c.1952

Charming deck urging the donation of blood to the Belgian Red Cross, made by Ets. Brepols S.A. The World Web Playing Card Museum dates these cards to the 1950s, and I have dated them to 1952, assuming that they were issued during the Korean War, since Belgium contributed troops to the United Nations forces in that conflict. The Jokers depict the Red Cross symbol, and each of the four suits tells the same illustrated story. That is, each suit has the same illustrations, although the red and black suits respectively have different colored ink. The Aces depict a Red Cross emblem, with the symbol held in the claws of a bird. Then, cards 2 through King tell the story of a man who decides to give blood and proceeds to do so. The words on the cards in this set are in French, but it is my understanding that the deck was also printed with Dutch words.

The deck has 52 cards, plus 2 Red Cross Jokers. The cards are relatively small bridge size, measuring 87mm x 58mm, with gold gilt at the corners. They are in the original box.

The cards are in “as new” condition, and the box is in very good condition with only minor signs of age and wear.

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Item ID: T00001126

$40 USD

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