Note; If you have not read the Servetus and Septimius page yet you should do so first.
1864 - 1872
Cincinnati Card Company
Cincinnati Card Company
(Hochman L13) CENTENNIAL PLAYING CARDS, Longley & Bro. Wholesale Manufacturers, Cincinnati, 1876. The special deck to commemorate the centennial of the Revolutionary War was conceived by the Longley’s in the years leading up to 1876. Seventy-five metal plates, mounted on cherry wood, were created to produce 52 cards in red and blue on a white background. The suits are Crossed Swords, Bugles, Cannons and Anchors. The courts are all Revolutionary War heroes. This deck was never issued and only a few packs were produced as examples. Several cards from one of these are in the USPC collection. A number of cards from another deck of these Centennial cards surfaced quite recently. It is interesting that they have a different back than those in the museum, as one would expect that all the example decks printed would have the same back design. Is it possible a few decks were issued after all?
We now know that 1876 is incorrect. We know the cards must have come out about February 1864. Servetus's patent was approved in February 1864. The deck must have been issued since we have seen advertisements for it in 1864 Cincinnati and Memphis newspapers.
The information about the engraved plates is mentioned in the footnotes of Chapter Five in the book "Arts As Image; Prints and Promotion in Cincinnati, Ohio", (edited by Alice M. Cornell, Ohio University Press, 2001). It states that Theodore Ashmead Langstroth II possessed 23 of the cards plus 70 of the engraved copper plates for manufacturing the deck. Backs were in blue plaid.
Theodore (Ted) Ashmead Langstroth II (b.1910-d.1978) was a passionate and eclectic collector. One of the offshoots of his collecting was the assembly of numerous scrapbooks put together around a specific theme or person. Langstroth took the time to research his interests and often included insights on the assembled materials, neatly typed and placed on the appropriate pages in the scrapbook. One of his apparent main collecting interests was color lithography. His collection resides in the Cincinnati Museum of Art.
Servetus's Patent Application
A blue Snowflake pattern and not the blue Plaid mentioned by Ted Langstroth
Longley's unusual suits used were Swords, Cannons, Anchors and Bugles. Was this inspired by the newly popular American Card Company Union Playing Cards? They had used Eagles, Shields, Stars and Flags.
RED BLACK RED BLACK
SWORDS CANNONS BUGLES ANCHORS
KINGS Gen. Greene Gen. Knox Gen. Washington Com. John Paul Jones
QUEENS Susan Bache Moll Pitcher Martha Washington Lady Columbia
JACKS Sgt. Champe Sgt. Jasper Thomas Burch A Sailor
JOKER
Sergeant Major John Champe (ca. 1752 – 30 September 1798) was an American Revolutionary War senior enlisted soldier in the Continental Army who became a double agent in a failed attempt to capture the American traitor General Benedict Arnold
William Jasper (c. 1750 – October 9, 1779) was a noted American soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was a sergeant in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment. Jasper distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Moultrie (then called Fort Sullivan) on June 28, 1776. When a shell from a British warship shot away the flagstaff, he recovered the South Carolina flag in the Battle of Sullivan's Island, raised it on a temporary staff, and held it under fire until a new staff was installed. Governor John Rutledge gave his sword to Jasper in recognition of his bravery.
Sarah Franklin Bache (1743-1808), a Revolutionary War patriot and daughter of Benjamin Franklin, led an active public life according to the standards of womanhood in the late eighteenth century. As the daughter of Benjamin Franklin she had an unusual access, for a woman, to the political life in revolutionary Philadelphia. Although her primary role was of caretaker of her family and home, Bache played an active role in the Revolution through her relief work and as her father's political hostess.
Mary Ludwig Hays was a woman who fought in the American War of Independence at the Battle of Monmouth. The woman behind the Molly Pitcher story is most often identified as Hays, but it is likely that the legend is an amalgam of more than one woman seen on the battlefield that day.
Major-General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as one of George Washington's most talented and dependable officers, and is known for his successful command in the Southern theater of the conflict.
Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns.
Thomas Burch I have not found a patriot or soldier by this name.
RED BLACK RED BLACK
SWORDS CANNONS BUGLES ANCHORS
KINGS Gen. Greene Gen. Knox Gen. Washington Com. John Paul Jones
QUEENS Susan Bache Moll Pitcher Martha Washington Lady Columbia
JACKS Sgt. Champe Sgt. Jasper Thomas Burch A Sailor
JOKER
Sergeant Major John Champe (ca. 1752 – 30 September 1798) was an American Revolutionary War senior enlisted soldier in the Continental Army who became a double agent in a failed attempt to capture the American traitor General Benedict Arnold
William Jasper (c. 1750 – October 9, 1779) was a noted American soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was a sergeant in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment. Jasper distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Moultrie (then called Fort Sullivan) on June 28, 1776. When a shell from a British warship shot away the flagstaff, he recovered the South Carolina flag in the Battle of Sullivan's Island, raised it on a temporary staff, and held it under fire until a new staff was installed. Governor John Rutledge gave his sword to Jasper in recognition of his bravery.
Sarah Franklin Bache (1743-1808), a Revolutionary War patriot and daughter of Benjamin Franklin, led an active public life according to the standards of womanhood in the late eighteenth century. As the daughter of Benjamin Franklin she had an unusual access, for a woman, to the political life in revolutionary Philadelphia. Although her primary role was of caretaker of her family and home, Bache played an active role in the Revolution through her relief work and as her father's political hostess.
Mary Ludwig Hays was a woman who fought in the American War of Independence at the Battle of Monmouth. The woman behind the Molly Pitcher story is most often identified as Hays, but it is likely that the legend is an amalgam of more than one woman seen on the battlefield that day.
Major-General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as one of George Washington's most talented and dependable officers, and is known for his successful command in the Southern theater of the conflict.
Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns.
Thomas Burch I have not found a patriot or soldier by this name.
Again in the book "Arts As Image; Prints and Promotion in Cincinnati, Ohio" footnote #26 of Chapter Five states that... "two Longley decks in the United States Playing Card Company Museum have "American Card Company" appearing on identical Aces of Spades. One of these decks has its joker; the other has its wrapper. The wrapper bears a revenue stamp of 5 cents. Its pencilled notation of 1862 has been accepted by Hochman and others, including Catherine Perry Hargrave. In A History of Playing Cards (p. 347) the wrapper says "Longley & Bro.,....Cincinnati, Ohio" The aforementioned Joker declares itself "Paper Fabrique Company's Highest Trump Card"."
What Hargrave actually says on pages 347 and 348 in her book is "The Great Mogul wrapper is lettered "Longley Card Company, Cincinnati", and the 5 cent revenue stamp is marked "1862". The cards are coarsely printed double heads. A similar pack has a joker, picturing a tiger, and lettered "Paper Fabrique Company's Highest Trump Card".
The card described with a Tiger sounds like a Paper Fabrique #150 Tiger Mogul deck. Paper Fabrique in Cincinnati wasn't incorporated until 1873.
The playing card tax revenue stamp started August 1862 and lasted until 1873. The 5 cent stamp was for any deck priced at 36 cents or more. That would be $6.75 today. Usually you see the date stamped, typed or written in ink with a name/intials and date. Was the 1862 date in pencil added later? Is it still in the USPC Museum?
What Hargrave actually says on pages 347 and 348 in her book is "The Great Mogul wrapper is lettered "Longley Card Company, Cincinnati", and the 5 cent revenue stamp is marked "1862". The cards are coarsely printed double heads. A similar pack has a joker, picturing a tiger, and lettered "Paper Fabrique Company's Highest Trump Card".
The card described with a Tiger sounds like a Paper Fabrique #150 Tiger Mogul deck. Paper Fabrique in Cincinnati wasn't incorporated until 1873.
The playing card tax revenue stamp started August 1862 and lasted until 1873. The 5 cent stamp was for any deck priced at 36 cents or more. That would be $6.75 today. Usually you see the date stamped, typed or written in ink with a name/intials and date. Was the 1862 date in pencil added later? Is it still in the USPC Museum?
Hargrave's book does list the almost 13,700 American made cards that were in the USPC Museum at one time. But, there are rumors they may not all be there now. Hopefully it will reopen someday. Miss Hargrave was the librarian of the Cincinnati Art Museum.
The book was originally published in 1930 and there were later editions, but not updates, She passed away in 1953.
In my opinion, even though it is a good reference book, it does ramble a lot.
(Hochman L1) GREAT MOGUL, Cincinnati Card Company, Longley & Bro., Manufacturers, No. 143 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, 1866. Through trade directories it has been established that the Longley’s were only at the Walnut Street address in 1866/67.
(Hochman L1a) GREAT MOGUL, Cincinnati Card Company, Longley & Bro., Manufacturers, No. 143 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, 1866. A similar Ace in a deck with one-way courts.
The time at 143 Walnut was 1863-1865
(Hochman L1a) GREAT MOGUL, Cincinnati Card Company, Longley & Bro., Manufacturers, No. 143 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, 1866. A similar Ace in a deck with one-way courts.
The time at 143 Walnut was 1863-1865
Note that on the bottom left of the left-hand card it states "Patent Pending". Was that for the deck or card back design? Were the Civil War themed card backs different or later versions?
UPDATE NOVEMBER 2023
It has now been discovered that the court card designs used by the Cincinnati Card Company deck were an 1850s Andrew Dougherty design, The "Patent Pending" must have been for the card back design.
It has now been discovered that the court card designs used by the Cincinnati Card Company deck were an 1850s Andrew Dougherty design, The "Patent Pending" must have been for the card back design.
(Hochman L2) GREAT MOGUL, American Card Co., Cincinnati, 1866. The wrapper for this deck mentions “Longley & Bro.” and has a five cent tax stamp, indicating a date around 1872. It is likely, however, that the deck was produced as early as 1866 as an identical deck (L1) can be positively attributed to that date. The deck came with a Card Fabrique Joker.
The Card Fabrique Joker would have been 1873 or later.