The Bob Lancaster Gallery of Unusual Playing Cards Presents

The Hochman Encyclopedia
of American Playing Cards

Image of book
Click here to purchase the book at Amazon.com

November 1, 2000.

Any collector of American Playing cards has heard of the series of publications collectively known as The Hochman Encyclopedia of Playing Cards, or, more often simply as Hochman.

Written by Gene Hochman and published in several volumes between 1976 - 1981, the Encyclopedia was the first real attempt at cataloguing decks published in the United States, and soon became the reference work on the subject. Between collectors, American decks were soon referred to by their "Hochman number" (e.e., "HOCH SE3"), and nowadays no serious auction of American decks ever goes without listing these identifying codes.

Even though it only dealt with decks published prior to 1939, decks not listed in the Encyclopedia were being discovered all the time. A few of the latter volumes in the set were an attempt at keeping up with these developments, but Hochman planned a total reworking of the set into one large book, updated with these new discoveries.

Sadly, Mr. Hochman passed away in 1989, before he could accomplish this goal, but not before enlisting the help of his friends and fellow card lovers Tom and Judy Dawson.

After Mr. Hochman's passing, the Dawsons decided to continue with the work, and Stuart Kaplan of U.S. Games Systems, Inc. agreed to publish it when it was complete.

After years of traversing the US (and Canada, their home), photographing and researching cards from rare decks in many major collections, Tom and Judy have finally finished their labor of love.

And, at more than 300 pages, what a labor of love it is! A listing of the chapter headings alone shows how ambitious a work it is:

  1. Collecting Playing Cards
  2. Organization of the Encyclopedia
  3. The Early Makers
  4. Longley Brothers and Successor Companies
  5. New York Consolidated Card Company
  6. Andrew Dougherty
  7. The United States Playing Card Company
  8. The National Card Co., Indianapolis and New York
  9. Perfection Playing Card Company
  10. Pyramid Playing Card Company
  11. Willis W. Russell, Kalamazoo, American Bank Note and Other Related Makers
  12. Standard Playing Card Manufacturing Company
  13. Other Makes of Wide Cards
  14. Narrow Cards
  15. Pictorial Backs
  16. Canadian Standard Playing Cards
  17. Advertising Playing Cards
  18. Transformation Cards
  19. Insert Cards
  20. War Cards
  21. Political and Patriotic Cards
  22. Entertainment
  23. Tarot and Fortune Telling Cards
  24. Exposition and World's Fair
  25. Wide Souvenirs of States, Cities and National Parks
  26. Railroad Souvenirs
  27. Canadian and Other Souvenir Issues
  28. Colleges, Universities and Unions
  29. Bridge and Whist
  30. No-Revoke Cards
  31. New Suit Signs
  32. Oddities
  33. Novelty Playing Cards

I was recently lucky enough to be present at the first distribution of this wonderful new reference book, at the joint 2000 convention of 52 Plus Joker and The International Playing-Card Society. During a tour of U. S. Games Systems, a limited number of signed/numbered copies of the hardback edition were made available, and the line soon snaked through the building.

The book is available in both hardbound (ISBN 1-57281-297-4) and softbound (ISBN 1-57281-299-0) editions. Many people at the convention were buying one of each: a hardbound for their permanent reference library, and the softbound to take with them when hunting for playing cards.

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