| Suit System: | G |
| Recommended Name: | the Tell pattern Type 2. |
Alternative names: Schweizer-Deutsche,helvét dupla kártya, Schweizer Doppel Karten.
In about 1855, after the repression of the Hungarian revolution against the Habsburgs, cardmaking was revived in Hungary. In the repertoire of Hungarian card makers appeared an important variety of the old Tell pattern (type 1). The special characteristics identifying this pattern had previously only been known on a few packs from this time: the "Kinderkarte" of Josef Wilner, and a pack made by the First Hungarian Playing-card Factory. These looked more like special products than as a variant of the Tell pattern. The originals from the printing- plate archive of F. Piatnik & Sons in Vienna, which were first described by Klaus Reisinger in his work Herz, Schelle, Laub, Eichel, however confirmed the fact that many card makers in Pest as well as Piatnik in Vienna had produced this pattern between 1855 and 1885 in large quantities. The changes from the Tell pattern Type 1 [IPCS #90] which define this as a new pattern include the seasons with women on the Deuces and Wilhelm Tell with a shouldered cross-bow on the Ober of Acorns.
The Deuces, Obers and Unters are named in Hungarian or not at all on the examples known.
The Deuces show allegories of the seasons. The figures on the Deuces are all women as opposed to the other three Tell pattern types:
In two versions made by F. Piatnik & Sons in Vienna and the First Hungarian Card Factory S. C. the captions on the Deuces Tavasz (Spring) and Nyär (Summer) are interchanged. In a version made by the First Hungarian Card Factory S. C. the four women take a different position and the Deuce of Bells shows a woman with a can.
The Kings are royal figures on horseback.
Obers: same as Type 4 [IPCS #93], except the Ober of Acorns has Wilhelm Tell with a shouldered cross-bow [in one variant by the first Playing-card Factory S. C. the Ober of Bells is holding a horn].
Unters: same as Type 4 [IPCS #93].
In some of their packs card-makers J. Burján, J. Wilner and the First Hungarian Playing-card Factory S. C. replace the pictures on VII and VIII of Hearts and VIII of Bells with different figures more like Hungarian characters. The name of the firm or card-maker appears on VII of Acorns or on VII of Bells, together with the tax stamp, if present.
32 cards: Daus, King, Ober, Unter, X to VII
Josef Wilner, Pest, c.1855-60; Stefan Schill, Pest, 1865; J. Baumgartner, Pest, 1868; J. Burján, Pest, c.1870; First Hungarian Playing-card Factory S. C., c.1870, Pest and 1885, Budapest; F. Piatnik & Sons, Vienna, 1878.
REISINGER, Klaus, Herz, Schelle, Laub, Eichel, Wien, 2004.
MANN, Sylvia, Alle Karten auf den Tisch – All Cards on the Table, Leinfelden und Marburg, 1990.
JÁNOSKA, Antal, A Magyar Kártya – Die ungarische Karte, Budapest, 1997.
| Top three rows: Elsö Magyar Kártyagyár Rt. (First Hungarian Playing-card Factory S. C.), Budapest, 1885;
Bottom three rows: Schill István (Stefan Schill), Pest, c.1865. (Please note that the illustrations show Deuces, Obers, and Unders, Kings are not shown) |
| The International Playing-Card Society | 8/2008 FH/AJ |