Note; If you have not read the Servetus and Septimius page yet you should do so first.
1873 - 1883
Paper Fabrique
(Cincinnati/Foster's Crossing/Remington)
Paper Fabrique
(Cincinnati/Foster's Crossing/Remington)
1873 May Paper Fabrique Private Tax Stamp Approved.
Used June 1873 until October 1880
Almost 4,000,000 stamps issued
(Hochman L3) GREAT MOGUL, Paper Fabrique Company, Middletown, c1867. An identical deck to L1 and L2 with a different company name.
Not Middletown. Had to be 1873 or later.
Not Middletown. Had to be 1873 or later.
In 1877 the playing cards change. This is because of two things. On August 6, 1877 the card factory in Foster's Crossing burns down and Servetus breaks ties with Paper Fabrique. The Eagle Card brand, then appears.
(Hochman L5) EAGLE CARD CO., Cincinnati, c1867. In addition to the name of the company, this deck refers to Saml. Cupples & Co. of St. Louis as Sole Agent. The deck has no indices, one-way courts and an early Joker. It is unclear where Mr. Cupples’ territory was – perhaps just St. Louis or west of the Mississippi – but it probably did not include the Eastern United States. Mr. Cupples was formerly from Cincinnati and was a friend of the Longley family. Interestingly, one of his other business ventures in St. Louis was the Cupples Envelope Co., which was the publisher of the St. Louis World’s Fair (Louisiana Purchase) deck listed as SX21.
Had to be 1877 or later. Cupples was probably not known to the Longleys until he became their agent in St. Louis.
(Hochman L6) EAGLE CARD CO., Middletown, c1870. This deck features a Joker representing Bret Harte’s ‘Heathen Chinee’ (similar to L7 Joker). Certain of the pip cards were specially marked for the game of Casino (two of Spades “Little Casino” and 10 of Diamonds “Big Casino”) and some for the popular game of the day called Pedro (the three’s are “Don”, the five’s “Pedro” and the nine’s Sancho). The deck has square corners and no indices with two-way courts.
It was not made in Middletown.
The patents on the card have 2 dates (August 13 and November 19) from 1877. These patents are for the games "Sancho" and ""Pedro"
"Sancho" was filed by J. B. Clement, a Paper Fabrique company director,
just one week after the factory in Foster's Crossing burns down.
just one week after the factory in Foster's Crossing burns down.
The patent registration for "Pedro" was filed under the company name.
"Sancho Pedro" is a variety of "Auction Pitch" in which the nine (Sancho) and five (Pedro) of trumps are added as counting cards at their pip value, and the ten of trumps counts game. This game was just becoming popular in 1875 as noted in this newspaper article............
UPDATE NOVEMBER 2023
It has now been found that the court cards are a match for John J. Levy's "American Manufacture" deck (Hochman NY16b). He liked to put mustaches on the jacks and a heavier beard and two rows of curls on the King of Hearts.
It has now been found that the court cards are a match for John J. Levy's "American Manufacture" deck (Hochman NY16b). He liked to put mustaches on the jacks and a heavier beard and two rows of curls on the King of Hearts.
(Hochman L7) EAGLE CARD CO., Middletown, 1877. In 1877 the patent mentioned as “applied for” on the Ace of Spades of L6, was granted and an additional patent was received for a new type of indices. L7 is, in all respects other than the new indices, the same as L6. Some versions of this Joker have one of the suit signs in each of the four corners instead of the stylized “J”.
Once again, it was not made in Middletown.
The only other Paper Fabrique patent registered in 1877 was this one for a playing card back.
(Hochman L14) AMERICAN CLUB #165, BORDER INDEX CARDS, Paper Fabrique Company Cincinnati, 1878. Another patent for a new form of indices was received on December 25, 1877. Interestingly, the holder of this patent was Cyrus W. Saladee, the holder of the patent on the scarce 1864 Samuel Hart deck known as Saladee’s Patent. In this deck the Joker represents a Chinese man holding cards and the courts depict 12 members of royalty then reigning in Europe.
(Hochman L14a) AMERICAN CLUB #165, BORDER INDEX CARDS, Paper Fabrique Company, Cincinnati, 1878. A similar Ace to L14 with an eagle in the Ace, rather than a hand holding cards. Both these decks say “Eagle Card” on the bottom of the Ace. Likely this was an earlier version.
(Hochman L15) WHIST AND POKER #175, PATENT DOUBLE SYMBOL CORNER INDEX CARDS, Paper Fabrique Co., Cincinnati, 1878. A further new form of indices patented by Saladee. These were heralded as being “new, neat and saleable and certain to supersede the old hackneyed styles and become the cards of the future”.
No Longer made after Oct. 20, 1879
(Hochman L4) STEAMBOATS #2, Eagle Card Co., Middletown, Ohio, c1870. This Ace of Spades is clearly the same as those of L2 and L3, The American Card Co., and Paper Fabrique Company decks, except it is unnamed. This deck also had a version of the Heathen Chinee Joker, made popular by the early Eagle packs. The Eagle Card Co. name on this deck appeared on the wrapper only.
Had to be 1877 or later. Was not Middletown.
Had to be 1877 or later. Was not Middletown.
Eagle Price List for August 1879
(Hochman L4) #122 #2 Steamboat With Heathen Chinee Joker
Not Listed #124 Rounded Corner Steamboat (Gloss Slip) The Steamboat has “124” on it
Not Listed #133 Rounded Corner Steamboat Moguls (Half Linen)
Not Listed #135 #1 Eagle Non-Splitting Steamboats (No Longer made after Oct. 20, 1879)
Not Listed #136 Champions (Gloss Slip)
(Hochman L3) #145 Great Moguls (Two Thirds Linen) (AoS like Cincinnati Card Co. L1 & L2)
Not Listed #155 The Sultans (All Linen/ Enameled)
Not Listed #150 Tiger Moguls (Super Linen/Extra Super Enameled)
Not Listed #160 Whist & Poker Round Corners (Pure Linen/Extra Super Enameled)
(Hochman L14/a) #165 American Club Border Index (Pure Linen/Extra Super Enameled)
(Hochman L15) #175 Whist & Poker (Pure Linen/Extra Super Enameled) (No Longer made after Oct. 20, 1879)
(Hochman L4) #122 #2 Steamboat With Heathen Chinee Joker
Not Listed #124 Rounded Corner Steamboat (Gloss Slip) The Steamboat has “124” on it
Not Listed #133 Rounded Corner Steamboat Moguls (Half Linen)
Not Listed #135 #1 Eagle Non-Splitting Steamboats (No Longer made after Oct. 20, 1879)
Not Listed #136 Champions (Gloss Slip)
(Hochman L3) #145 Great Moguls (Two Thirds Linen) (AoS like Cincinnati Card Co. L1 & L2)
Not Listed #155 The Sultans (All Linen/ Enameled)
Not Listed #150 Tiger Moguls (Super Linen/Extra Super Enameled)
Not Listed #160 Whist & Poker Round Corners (Pure Linen/Extra Super Enameled)
(Hochman L14/a) #165 American Club Border Index (Pure Linen/Extra Super Enameled)
(Hochman L15) #175 Whist & Poker (Pure Linen/Extra Super Enameled) (No Longer made after Oct. 20, 1879)
"The Heathen Chinee", originally published as "Plain Language from Truthful James", is a narrative poem by American writer Bret Harte. It was published for the first time in September 1870 in the Overland Monthly. It was written as a parody of Algernon Charles Swinburne's “Atalanta in Calydon “(1865), and satirized anti-Chinese sentiment in northern California.
In the story everyone in the card game is cheating, but the Chinese character, Ah Sin. After watching and learning then he starts cheating better than everyone and wins. When his opponents discover his trickery, they are outraged. “We are ruined by Chinese cheap labor,” one of them cries. This is the punch line of a phrase already popular among anti-Chinese agitators, appropriated by Harte to expose the hypocrisy of white racism. Harte later wrote that Ah Sin “did as the Caucasians did in all respects, and, being more patient and frugal, did it a little better.” He learned the white man’s game, and proceeded to beat him at it. It went viral, ripped from its original context and reprinted in the nation’s newspapers and magazines—the Internet of the day. Its lines were recited, quoted, parodied, set to music, reprinted and resold on city streets.
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On October 24, 1871, one year after the poem appeared, the worst mass lynching in American history took place in Los Angeles. A white mob stormed through the city’s Chinatown, and left at least 19 Chinese corpses hanging in the streets. Ten men of the mob of at least 500 were prosecuted and eight were convicted of manslaughter in these deaths. The convictions were overturned on appeal due to technicalities. It was not a newsworthy item for newspapers and is now largely forgotten history.
Not Listed
Samuel Cupples, Sole Agent of Eagle Cards in St. Louis
In 1882 St. Louis newspapers mention Cupples and his Eagle cards quite a lot. Even though he was on the Police Commission most of the gambling was done with his popular Eagle Cards. Concerned citizens complained about this seemingly double standard. They were so popular with the gamblers that they did not even have to advertise them in the local newspapers, they knew where to get them.
This drawing on the left appeared in an 1882 newspaper article complaining about the Eagle Cards in St. Louis. It shows the deck as being a No. 180 Moguls deck. This is an unlisted and unknown deck.
Did Samuel Cupples have something to do with keeping the company going? Why is there is no mention on the box of Paper Fabrique or Cincinnati?
April 15, 1882 St. Louis
December 1883 St. Louis
UPDATE NOVEMBER 2023
It has now been found that Samuel Cupples's Eagle court cards are a copy of Samuel Hart's Mogul deck (NY33) with the heavy beard and double curls John J. Levy liked to use as mentioned above. So it was probably a design after they formed the New York Consolidated Card Company in 1871. Notice the symbol on the hilt of the sword. This dates back to H. W. Hewet's Congress Card Manufactory similar design.
It has now been found that Samuel Cupples's Eagle court cards are a copy of Samuel Hart's Mogul deck (NY33) with the heavy beard and double curls John J. Levy liked to use as mentioned above. So it was probably a design after they formed the New York Consolidated Card Company in 1871. Notice the symbol on the hilt of the sword. This dates back to H. W. Hewet's Congress Card Manufactory similar design.
EAGLE CARD COMPANY
There was an Eagle Card Company private tax stamp (RU7d) approved for use in December 1879. The stamp was used between January 1880 and February 1883. There were 1,800,900 stamps issued. Even though the time period is right and it appears to be Eagle Card of Paper Fabrique it is not. At first I even thought it was the Paper Fabrique card being produced by John Petrie Jr. in New York City after what was going on during this time.
The one very odd thing about this stamp is that I could not find another collector that has seen this stamp on a deck. But, you can easily find unused single stamps for sale on the Internet.
Elliott Perry (1884 – 1972) was a researcher, collector, and expert on, all phases of United States stamp collecting. His focus was on revenue stamps, carrier and city post stamps. He was named to the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in 1973. Interestingly, he was doubtful that the Eagle Card Company existed as such since he could not find any trace of it in the records. He also believed that the stamps were used by the Paper Fabrique Company for their Eagle brand of playing cards.
Perry probably was not aware about a patent from 1880. In October Andrew J. Manning patented an Ace of Spades design for Andrew Dougherty for the Eagle Card Company (AD51b and AD51c). The tax stamp says "New York" because that is where Andrew Dougherty was located. Oddly this card does not show up on any known Dougherty price list. Was he supplying Samuel Cupples?
If you would like to read more about A. J. Manning and the designs he did for Dougherty just click on the link below...