Introduced ca. 1890 (revised from 1892). Discontinued in 1943. Most other decks with a one-way back were long since revised to be symmetrical or discontinued. Emblem endured as a simple yet elegant one-way design. Decks and singles are easily found in red or blue but are extremely rare in green and brown. I recently found a US8 deck in brown, which also prompted the revision of the start date, above. In a separate transaction, I found the brown US8 joker, shown below. Steve Bowling reports that he has a green deck, although the only green Emblem card I have ever seen was a throw-out card from Alexandre Herrmann the magician which was offered on eBay several years ago. It was paired with a matching Herrmann card with an Old Fan back. The pair sold for in excess of $500 (see the card, below).

A curious aspect of Emblem is that while the design is decidedly one way (meaning that the back design has a distinct “top” and “bottom”), the background graphic is almost perfectly symmetrical. This is easier to see with the bicycle removed; please see my modified version of the design, below. Unlike most other one-way Bicycle designs, Emblem was never adapted to or exchanged for a fully symmetrical version.

Also pictured, below, is a Canadian pinochle deck that was issued with the Emblem back. Some Bicycle card collectors scorn the pinochle decks, and I suppose from a purist standpoint, they are not standard issue 52 + joker decks, and therefore do not fit in the pantheon of 82 standard issue back designs. I do consider them a worthy adjunct to my collection. The deck below is an excellent example of an uncommon combination: a back design that was rarely offered in a pinochle version (almost all Bicycle pinochle decks are Rider or Racer No. 2), and a scarce Canadian issue. That the deck is also sealed in its inner wrapper is a welcome bonus.

Also shown below is a very interesting knock-off of the Emblem back manufactured by the Weinberg Bros. in Cape Town, South Africa. While the Emblem back is faithfully reproduced, the deck is poorly printed, and generally very cheaply made (Lotrek would be happy). The box features a fanciful image of a queen riding a tricycle, and the famous Bicycle milestone reduced appropriately to “303” instead of the usual “808.” Just when I think I have seen all of the variations of Bicycle playing card adaptations from around the world, something like this shows up and completely surprises me!

Like several other Bicycle back designs, Emblem can be found in the form of a music deck. The last image, below, shows a single Emblem music card from Jan Walls’ collection. The other known designs that were adapted for music decks are Cupid (Sod), Lotus, Old Fan, Safety, Thistle (Sod), and Wheel No. 1 (the most recent discovery). There is no evidence that Russell and Morgan or the United States Playing Card Company ever issued such decks, so it is my assumption that blank faced Bicycle decks were purchased and the music elements were then printed by third party printers.