Leaf
This design is probably the rarest of all Bicycle decks. Only a few full decks are known to exist, and it was not included in Mrs. Robinson’s otherwise comprehensive catalogue of Bicycle cards in 1955. Gene Hochman, in his extraordinary Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards, called this newly discovered early Bicycle deck “Oak Leaf.” But, […]
Wheel No. 2
Introduced in 1907. Discontinued in 1943. Reissued at various times since then as a solitaire deck (early 1990s) and as part of the Bicycle Heritage Series (?). Wheel No. 2 is one of the few revised designs that stayed almost exactly the same as its predecessor. The only difference between it and Wheel No. 1 […]
Wheel No. 1
Introduced in 1887. Discontinued in 1907. Wheel No. 1 is a very pleasing graphic back design, featuring a high-wheel Penny Farthing bicycle, along with appropriate oil lamps. This design is common in red and blue, but quite rare in green and brown. Wheel No. 1 is one of several Bicycle back designs featuring the three […]
Western Plaid
Introduced in 1914. Discontinued in 1932. Technically, this is not a plaid at all as the dictionary defines a plaid as different colors arranged in a crossbarred pattern (as in a Scottish tartan). A very rare back design, which is somewhat surprising given its long run. Blue singles are scarce, and complete decks in either […]
Twig
Introduced in 1907. Discontinued in 1908. First called Coral (my notes indicate that this was in 1904, but I’m not sure why). This is a very rare deck. I have never seen singles offered for sale, but I do have one complete deck in blue. A collector friend writes: “I believe Twig to have been […]
Tri-Tire No. 2
Introduced in 1905. Discontinued in 1927. This deck replaced the one-way three-winged design featured on Tri-Tire No. 1. Despite a much longer run, Tri-Tire No. 2 is considerably harder to find than its predecessor. Perhaps the design had run its course and other new Bicycle backs became more popular. Below is a throw-out card from […]
Tri-Tire No. 1
Introduced in 1898. Discontinued in 1905. One of several decks featuring the logo of the League of American Wheelmen as the central motif. Please see the entry for League back (No. 35) for a more detailed discussion of this design element. This is one of several decks that were subsequently issued in modified form to […]
Tri-Plaid
Introduced in 1905. Discontinued in 1943. Rare but not impossible to find. Singles circulate occasionally. One of several Bicycle patterned backs that were probably designed for club or casino use to compete with Andrew Dougherty’s Bee No. 92 back. Technically, this is not a plaid at all (also true of Margin Tri-Plaid, Star Plaid No. […]
Thistle
Introduced in 1891. Discontinued in 1931. One of the most enduring and common of the Bicycle back designs. Examples can be easily found, even in its earliest US8 version. Based on cards found in salesman’s sample folders, the earlier version of the Thistle back with a grass background, shown in the first two cards above, […]
Tangent No. 2
Introduced in 1907. Discontinued in 1939. Identical to Tangent No. 1 but for the four winged wheel that replaced the asymmetrical three wings. A long run for this back design, but actually more difficult to find than Tangent No. 1.