| Suit System: | G |
| Recommended Name: | Nürnberg pattern narrow cards (Schmale Karte). |
Other names: "Nürnberger Typus" (Essenwein), often called Ansbach pattern in the literature. The wrappers and boxes use different names: "Münchner Bild", "Nürnberger Karte", "Bayerische Spielkarte", "Feine Deutsche Spielkarte", etc. This pattern sheet, together with [IPCS #87], replaces the G5 pattern sheet, published previously.
The Nürnberg pattern in the normal (narrow) size replaced the wide format [IPCS #87] during the second half of the 19th century. It is the direct successor of that pattern. At the same time some cards are slightly modified. According to Essenwein this new pattern is believed to have originated in the workshop of Jegel. Around 1910 the makers Frommann & Morian and Frommann & Bünte in Darmstadt published a double-ended version which, however, was not well received by card players.
The name Ansbach pattern which is frequently used is misleading due to the fact that this pattern ended up only being sold in the Ansbach region.
In comparison with the wide version [IPCS #87] several Obers and Unters are turned, or change direction; (Ober and Unter of Acorns, Ober of Hearts, Unter of Bells). In this respect they resemble the wide form of Jegel, which is different from that of all other makers. Packs are mostly produced with 36 cards. On the Six of Hearts the Imperial eagle is replaced by the Bavarian lozenges while the Nürnberg coat-of-arms remains. The lion on the Deuce of Acorns additionally shows the Nürnberg coat-of-arms. The birds on the Deuce of Leaves are replaced by an escutcheon with lozenges and a king's shield with a student sitting below it. Backofen keeps the birds but adds another bird (an owl or eagle?) at the lower end. The feature of the King of Acorns as only court card with two suit-signs is retained in this pattern, even in the double-ended version. In the double-ended version the illustrations of the Deuces of Leaves and Acorns are taken from the Franconian pattern (an eagle and a lion respectively).
36 cards: Deuce, King, Ober, Unter, and numerals 10 (X) to 6.
Johann Conrad Jegel, Johann Ernst Backofen, Christoph Heinrich Reuter, all from Nürnberg;
Georg Martin Neumann, Würzburg;
F. X. Schmid, München;
Gebr. Bechstein, Schneider & Co., both Altenburg;
Flemming & Wiskott, Glogau;
Kliegl & Co. Mainz;
Frommann & Bünte, Darmstadt;
Heinrich Schwarz, Nürnberg.
Essenwein: Katalog der im Germanischen Museum befindlichen Kartenspiele und Spielkarten, Nürnberg 1886
Hausler: Ansbacher Bild oder doch Nürnberger Bild? in: Das Blatt Nr.25, Berlin 2002
Radau/Matthes: Deutsche Spielkarten 1650 - 1900, Nürnberg 2001
| Upper and middle row: Single-ended version by Conrad Jegel (Succ.) c.1880; bottom row: Double-ended version by Frommann & Morian c.1910; both from the collection Hausler. |
| The International Playing-Card Society | 3/2007 MH |