Lepori & Storni “Piccionaia & Tris” Playing Cards, Franco Cavani Designs, c.1973

Extraordinary, very rare and somewhat risqué deck of cards made by Lepori & Storni of Viganello in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, Switzerland, c.1973, for La Piccionaia nightclub in Lugano. It features the brilliant designs of Lugano artist Franco Cavani. Lepori & Storni is a high end graphic design and printing firm and to the best of my knowledge this is the only deck ever made by the firm. The cards are made of a thick, textured kind of material with a plastic component. Most of the information I have about the deck is taken from the website of a Toni DiRossi, which lists and shows his collection, and I have accepted it. There is nothing on the cards giving any identifying information, but I do not have the original box.

The deck has 52 suited cards, plus 2 Jokers. The cards are bridge size, measuring 88mm x 58mm, but as noted they are on unusual thick stock – to the extent that the deck is perhaps 35%-50% thicker than a standard deck. The cards came to me and will travel to a buyer in a plastic box that does its job of protecting the cards, but is not original.

The cards are “as new.”

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