Wiener Veduten Tarock 1974 Piatnik 150th Anniversary Edition "Wien um 1870" with Book by Prof. Otto Stradal, Vienna

Grand Tarot | Rare Divination Decks

1974 Piatnik 150th Anniversary Edition Wiener Veduten Tarock Wien um 1870 with Companion Book by Prof. Otto Stradal, Published in Vienna.

Historical background, Significance & Rarity

Published in 1974 by Wiener Spielkartenfabrik Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne in Vienna to commemorate the firm's 150th anniversary (1824–1974), this deluxe commemorative edition reproduces the historic mid-nineteenth-century Wiener Veduten Tarock (circa 1870–1879) directly from original steel engraving plates preserved in the Piatnik company archives. Documented in Stuart R. Kaplan’s The Encyclopedia of Tarot (Volume IV, pages 724–725), this inaugural 1974 jubilee presentation houses the 54-card deck inside a textured gold two-piece telescope box set within a dark green velvet-flocked presentation case alongside a square illustrated companion volume by Viennese cultural historian Prof. Otto Stradal (1911–1982). Long out of print in this original 1974 anniversary presentation format, complete sets preserving both boxes, the illustrated monograph, and the complete deck are sought after by collectors of historical European tarot and Viennese cultural artifacts.

Artistic Movement and Philosophy

The deck represents the nineteenth-century Viennese Biedermeier and Gründerzeit tradition of topographical souvenir playing cards (Veduten-Tarocke). Structurally, it follows the classic 54-card Austro-Hungarian Tarock format associated with the Industrie und Glück standard: 22 trump cards (Atouts) and 32 French-suited pip and court cards (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades). Trump cards II through XXI feature double-ended, delicately hand-colored steel engravings depicting 40 architectural landmarks, palaces, churches, and excursions in and around Vienna circa 1870—including St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Innere Stadt, Karlskirche, K.K. Belvedere, Schloß Schönbrunn, Josephsplatz, K.K. Equitation, Ritterschloß in Laxenburg, Schloß Weilburg, and Burg Liechtenstein bei Mödling. Trump I (Pagat) depicts two theatrical figures—a masked harlequin playing a lute and a tambourine dancer bearing the original nineteenth-century engraving inscriptions Eigenthum des Herausgebers and Nachdruck vorbehalten—while the unnumbered Sküs portrays a harlequin holding batons. The reversible card backs display a traditional Viennese black and orange-brown zigzag marble pattern (Schlangenmuster).

Technical Specifications

Title: Wiener Veduten Tarock — "Wien um 1870" (150 Jahre Piatnik 1824–1974)
Publisher & Printer: Wiener Spielkartenfabrik Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne, Vienna, Austria
Companion Book Author: Prof. Otto Stradal (Gedanken zum Wiener Veduten Tarock)
Edition & Year: 150th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, 1974 (documented in Stuart R. Kaplan, The Encyclopedia of Tarot, Vol. IV, pp. 724–725)
Card Count: 54 cards (complete Austrian Tarock deck: 22 trumps including Sküs and I–XXI, plus 16 double-ended court cards and 16 pip cards without corner indices)
Card Language: German titles on the steel engravings
Card Dimensions: 10.0 x 5.6 cm (3.94 x 2.20 inches)
Inner Card Box Dimensions: 10.5 x 6.3 x 2.8 cm (4.13 x 2.48 x 1.10 inches)
Outer Presentation Case Dimensions: 30.0 x 21.5 x 4.3 cm (11.81 x 8.46 x 1.69 inches)
Card Backs: Black and orange-brown zigzag geometric marble pattern (reversible)
Accompanying Documentation: Square illustrated German-language companion volume (Wiener Veduten Tarock: Wien um 1870, © 1974 Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne) featuring enlarged steel engraving plates and historical commentary

Condition Report

Cards: Very good condition. All 54 cards are present, crisp, and clean with straight factory-cut edges and sharp square corners, exhibiting only light toning along the outer borders of the trump cards.
Inner Gold Card Box: Very good condition. The two-piece textured gold telescope box is structurally sound and clean, showing minimal edge rubbing and a small faint spot on the white inner neck.
Companion Book: Good to very good condition. The square illustrated book has an intact spine and crisp, clean pages free of tears or stains; however, due to age-related drying of the original adhesive binding, numerous leaves have detached and lie loose inside the covers.
Outer Presentation Case: Good condition. The gold-textured outer box and dark green flocked interior tray are structurally intact with clean gold-stamped lettering; the gold paper covering exhibits scattered scuffing and surface wear along the side and bottom panels, and the clear rigid plastic lid shows surface scratches along with a few small cracks along the edges.

Collector's Guarantee & Provenance

Each deck from Grand Tarot is accompanied by a hand signed Certificate of Authenticity & Historical Record by Dr. Kim de Wildt. This document serves as a verified record of the edition, the state of conservation, and the historical significance of your acquisition.

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