Cyclist No. 1
Introduced in 1898. Discontinued in 1908. Cyclist No. 1 is a pleasing design, examples of which appear for sale with some regularity (see a detail of the design, below). This back design is easier to find in its US8d iteration, and blue decks are offered for sale more frequently than red ones. Finding any Cyclist […]
Cupid – Crosshatch
Introduced in 1894. A lovely back design that has been revived several times since being discontinued in 1943. Cupid was first issued in what collectors usually call the Sod back (click on the link to the left below). The version pictured here is called Crosshatch in reference to the design between the bicycle wheels that […]
Cupid – Sod
Cupid was first issued in 1894 in what collectors call the Sod back, pictured here, which references the grass under the bicycle wheels. This version of Cupid is very rare in any color, and especially so in green or brown. The Sod back was apparently discontinued early in its run, probably no later than 1896, […]
Colorado Plaid
Introduced in 1906. Discontinued in 1911. This is one of several Bicycle decks issued in two-color back designs – red & green and blue & brown (sometimes blue & black). It is a very rare deck; even singles are difficult to find. For a similar design released at the same time, also see Arizona Plaid. […]
Club
Introduced in 1917. Discontinued in 1969. This basket-weave patterned back was probably issued to compete with the Consolidated Card Company’s Bee No. 92 pattern back. A long run for this design, but it must not have been very popular because you don’t see too many Club decks around. The Club back is distinguished for being […]
Chainless
Introduced in 1899. Discontinued in 1917. The back design depicts a gear-driven shaft where the bicycle chain would normally be. While innovative, this was not a popular idea then or now. Some bicycles being marketed today feature notched belt drives instead of chains. Chainless is an elegant design that was evidently relatively popular. Today it […]
Chain
Introduced in 1908. Discontinued in 1910. This is the rarest of the three two-tone designs that were released solely in the United Kingdom. I have never seen a complete Chain deck, only singles. All three of the designs are scarce, each having been printed in a single print run according to Mrs. Robinson. The other […]
Bird
Introduced prior to 1891, probably discontinued within a year or two of its release. This is an extremely rare deck. Single cards are hard to come by (especially in red), and complete decks are seldom seen. If you do find a Bird deck, odds are it will be in pretty rough condition, as most of […]
Big Gun
Introduced in 1918 and apparently withdrawn from circulation in 1918. Toward the end of the first World War, the United States Playing Card Company produced four “War Series” decks under the Bicycle brand to represent each of the branches of the U.S. armed services: Big Gun for the Army, Dreadnaught for the Navy, Flying Ace […]
Automobile No.2
Introduced in 1913. Discontinued in 1935. Relatively common and possible to find in excellent or better condition in red or blue. Brown and green decks, on the other hand, are exceedingly rare. Until Steve Bowling sent me a scan of a brown card (above and enlarged in the last image, below), I did not even […]