Introduced in 1885, and said to be the first back issued under the new Bicycle brand of the Russell and Morgan Printing Company (needs verification). Discontinued in 1894. Relatively easy to find in red or blue, even in its earliest variants. Green and brown decks are rare, but not impossible to find. Singles in all four colors are available, too, but expect to pay a premium for the brown and green ones.

A collector once asked me why this back was called “Old Fan.” This made me realize that it was not obvious to everyone that the design incorporates a Japanese style fan. I sent him a scan of the card with the fan highlighted, as seen in the first image, below.

Old Fan is a product of an interest in Japanese themes during the Victorian era, which was manifested in what became known as the Anglo-Japanese style. This style can be found in china, silver, tiles, wallpaper and other decorative objects from the time. See a few examples of other Anglo-Japanese playing card designs below, all of which feature the ever-popular Japanese fan.

The next image, below, is a comparison with the Bicycle Expert back. This is the only instance I can think of where one Bicycle design was pirated for another. The Expert back, in turn, was copied in a couple of Chas. Goodall designs in the United Kingdom, as shown on the Expert page.

Like several other Bicycle back designs, Old Fan can be found in the form of a music deck. Below is a single Old Fan music card from my collection. The other known designs that were adapted for music decks are Emblem, Lotus, Safety, and Thistle (Sod). The Emblem single appears to be from the same music deck as this Old Fan example. 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.