Hoyle Playing Cards

 Since I started collecting decks of playing cards, I've been disappointed from time to time after opening the decks and going through them. Some used decks can be missing cards, in poor shape, or turn out to have nothing unique or special about them. I have from the beginning used these sub par decks to make jewelry and various art projects. I'm currently working on a new project (sketchbook) for the Brooklyn Art Library  and in need of multiple decks of cards for the project. I decided to take inventory of my collection and determine which could be removed from the collection and used for stock.

At first glance I added my deck of Holye Official Playing Cards to the stock pile. Not wanting to make a decision I would regret later on, I decided to research the stock pile online before making my final decision. After some research, the deck was added back to my collection.  

Edmond Hoyle was a British writer famous for his work on rules of various card games. In 1742 he published A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist.  He went on to publish several other books on game strategy and probability theory. In 1748 his major works were combined and sold as a collection titled Mr. Hoyle's Treatises of Whist, Quadrille, Piquet, Chess and Back-Gammon.  Although he died many decades before poker was invented he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979. The phrase "according to Hoyle" has come to mean according to the official rules or according to the authority.

The Hoyle Deck was originally produced by Bigelow Company in 1927. Due to the success of the deck the card division was renamed Hoyle Products in 1975. The deck is known for the Shell design on it's back and the Joker card. The jesters face is an optical illusion. The deck is also known for being printed on high quality paper and custom coating to make it durable. In 2001 Hoyle Products was bought by USPCC and the decks have continued to be sold with the iconic design.