Fortune Telling decks, unlike the "Tarot Deck" are a modern product. Developed by card makers in the 19th century and dependent upon where they were made, they sometimes were based upon the 52 card standard deck, decks used for other games, or the Tarot's Major Arcana cards.
The photograph on the left partially illustrates a standard 52 card deck manufactured by the US Playing Card Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.The deck was acquired by the Museum in 1982. The slip-box lid (9.2cm long x 7.2cm wide x 2.2cm thick) slips over the bottom of the box. The bottom (9.1cm long x 6.8cm wide x 1.8cm thick) has a thumbnail cut to enable the deck to be removed. The name of the deck and the manufacturer's name is stamped in gold on the front of the box lid.
The card backs feature a mirrored sphinx with a mirrored bird in black on a blue background (bottom row, right). There are 52 cards with gold tinted rounded corners. Each card includes one of the French national suit in the center of the card. A "fortune" is printed in black around the outside border of each card. The Ace of Spades includes the manufacturer's name and address. Printed instructions for using the deck are included in the box.
The deck partially illustrated to the right, was purchased by the Museum in 1976. It was manufactured in Stuttgart, Germany by Altenbuiger und Stralsunder Spielkarten. The deck is based upon the 36 card "Sheepshead" deck.
The flap-top box is 8.6cm long x 5.8cm wide x 1.6cm thick. The front and back of the box have the same design as the card backs - a blue and white design with a center star (box is on the top left, card back is on the right).
Each card (8.2cm long x 5.5cm wide), features a different interpretive picture. Although this is a German deck, superimposed in the top center of each picture is the French national suit symbols for each card in the "Sheepshead" deck. Cards are numbered 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. In the upper left corner of each card is a white circle containing a black number from 1 to 36. These numbers identify the large pictures on a card. A four-page booklet (in German) in the box, offers instructions for use of the deck, and also offers a possible interpretation of each picture.
The following is a list of the pictures: 1. horseback rider, 2. flower, 3. ship, 4. hotel, 5. tree, 6. storm, 7. snake, 8. coffin, 9. bouquet, 10. bales of hay, 11. prison bench with flogging sticks, 12. pigeons, 13. young boy, 14. fox with dead bird, 15. bear, 16. stars in the sky, 17. heron, 18. dog, 19. castle tower, 20. fountain, 21. mountain, 22. crossroads, 23. mouse, 24. hearts and flowers, 25. wedding ring, 26. bible, 27. letter, 28. young man, 29. young woman, 30.man and table, 31. moon, 32. town, 33. key, 34 fish, 35. anchor, 36. cross.
The deck partially pictured at the left was donated to the Museum in 1980 by the owner of a playing card shop in Rome. The deck was manufactured by Carte da Gioco per Collezione, via Della Croce 16, Rome, Italy. The deck is a reproduction of a deck originally made available about 1850 in Italy. The deck is similar is some ways to the major arcana cards in the Tarot deck.
The 40 card deck is enclosed in a flap-top box 9.8cm long x 5.6cm wide x 2.5cm thick. Each card is 9.3cm long x 5.2cm wide. Card backs are white and gray with geometric designs.
Twenty of the cards have a scene of a cottage on a lake at the bottom, a banner at the top, and one large Roman numeral from I to X in the center. Ten additional cards have the top banner, one small Roman numeral from XI to XV, a name printed in Italian, and a large center picture such as a house, a horse, a jester. Eight additional cards feature colored pictures in the center of the card with a name printed in Italian at the top. Two cards picture a lion and a shield with no other markings.
According to the donor, the deck may also be used to play a game known in Italy as Gnao, which in English means cat.
