United States Playing Card Company
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| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1867 |
| Headquarters | Erlanger, Kentucky,USA |
| Key people | Phil Dolci (President) |
| Industry | Playing card manufacturer |
| Products | Bicycle, Bee, Aristocrat, KEM, Aviator and many more |
| Revenue | ▲ US$130 million (2003 est.) |
| Net income | ▲ US$ |
| Employees | 750 |
| Parent | Jarden Corporation |
| Website | http://www.usplayingcard.com/ |
The United States Playing Card Company, started in 1867, produces and distributes playing cards, including Kem, Bee, Bicycle, Aviator, Maverick, Tuxedo, Hoyle, Tally Ho, plus other playing card accessories, like poker chips. The company was based in Cincinnati, Ohio, but now is located at 300 Gap Way, Erlanger, KY.
These cards are also used by famous magicians, and companies like Bicycle make cheats deck only for illusionists.
For over a hundred years, the inexpensive Bicycle brand cards have been the top selling playing card brand in the world. Bee is a high-quality brand manufactured not only for consumer use, but used widely in casinos. The company also famously made the Iraq's Most Wanted playing cards.
In addition to playing cards, the company offers card game accessories and novelty playing cards, including Winnie the Pooh, Spider-Man, NASCAR, Harley-Davidson, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and so on. The company also produces many varieties of Tarot cards[citation needed].
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[edit] History
In January 1867, A. O. Russell, Robert J. Morgan, James M. Armstrong and John F. Robinson Jr. formed a partnership and purchased from the proprietors of The Cincinnati Enquirer what was then known as the Enquirer Job Printing Rooms, which occupied the first and second stories of the building at 20 College Street in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm commenced business as Russell, Morgan & Co., referring to the two printers in the partnership.
While on College Street, the firm printed theatrical and circus posters, placards and labels. By 1872, the business had increased so much, it was forced to seek larger quarters, and in November 1872, it moved into a new, four-story building on nearby Race Street in downtown Cincinnati.
Early in 1880, Mr. Russell proposed to his partners that they embark upon the manufacture of playing cards, an industry monopolized by several East Coast companies. The partners agreed and arrangements were made to add two additional stories to their building, making it six stories high. Many new machines were designed and built expressly for Russell, Morgan & Co. The first deck of playing cards was completed on June 28, 1881. About 20 employees manufactured 1600 packs per day.
In 1891, Russell, Morgan and Company became The United States Printing Company. Only three years later (1894), the playing card business had grown to such proportions that it was separated from the Printing Company, becoming The United States Playing Card Company.
The United States Playing Card Company gained immediate advantages, for it acquired other notable companies: The Standard Playing Card Co (Chicago), Perfection Card Co (New York) and New York Consolidated Cards. NYCC had antecedents dating back to 1833 when Lewis I. Cohen perfected his four-color press for printing playing cards. The famous Bee® Playing Cards still issued by USPC, had originated at New York Consolidated in 1892.
Congress® is one of the original brands from 1881 still in production today and the card of choice for sophisticated bridge players. Likewise, the world-renowned "Bicycle®" playing card brand has been in continuous production since 1885.
The Joker is an American invention dating from about 1865 and has made different appearances in the Bicycle® line. The first type represented a man on a high-wheeled bike. The bicycle later acquired two wheels of normal size. Then followed a series of playing card kings on bikes. These cyclists wheel past a milestone marked "808." Contrary to some opinions, this number has no mystical meaning. It is merely a reference number distinguishing this brand and style from others (such as "606" for Congress or "48" for Bicycle's Pinochle deck) by the same company.
The Ace of Spades carries another code, identifying the year in which the deck was printed. This Ace features, within the suit sign, a woman who rests her right hand on a sword and shield while she holds an olive branch in her left. The image was inspired by Thomas Crawford's sculpture, "Statue of Freedom." which, in 1865, had been placed atop the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.
By 1900, The United States Playing Card Company expanded again, moving from downtown Cincinnati to a newly-built factory in Norwood. Situated on over 30 acres, the facility would eventually accommodate over 600,000 square feet of manufacturing operations.
A Neo-Romanesque bell tower (4-stories high) was built in 1926 atop the company's 4-story main building entrance. This tower housed a fine set of 12 carillon bells, ranging in size from 1-1/2 to 5-1/2 feet. This was the first set of chimes built for radio broadcasting. The chimes were connected electronically to radio station WSAI, which was owned and operated by The United States Playing Card Company from 1922 until 1930 and located within the USPC complex. The main reason for the radio station was to promote the game of bridge by broadcasting bridge lessons. In those days, there was no limitation on the range of radio power and the WSAI transmission was so clear and strong that it could be picked up as far away as New Zealand. WSAI was eventually sold in the 1930's to the Crosley Radio Corporation.
During World War II, the company secretly worked with the U. S. government in fabricating special decks to send as gifts for American prisoners of war in German camps. When these cards were moistened, they peeled apart to reveal sections of a map indicating precise escape routes. Also during the war, USPC provided "spotter" cards, which illustrated the characteristic shapes of tanks, ships and aircraft from the more powerful countries. The company further assisted by sewing parachutes for anti-personnel fragmentation bombs.
The Ace of Spades served a famous purpose in the war in Vietnam. In February, 1966, two lieutenants of Company "C," Second Battalion, 35th Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, wrote The United States Playing Card Company and requested decks containing nothing but the Bicycle® Ace of Spades. The cards were useful in psychological warfare. The Viet Cong were very superstitious and highly frightened by this Ace. The French previously had occupied Indo-China, and in French fortunetelling with cards, the Spades predicted death and suffering. The Viet Cong even regarded lady liberty as a goddess of death. USPC shipped thousands of the requested decks gratis to our troops in Vietnam. These decks were housed in plain white tuckcases, inscribed "Bicycle® Secret Weapon." The cards were deliberately scattered in the jungle and in hostile villages during raids. The very sight of the Bicycle® Ace was said to cause many Viet Cong to flee.
In 1986, the company acquired Heraclio Fournier, S.A., the largest playing card manufacturer in Europe. In 1987, USPC acquired Arrco Playing Card Company, the third largest playing card manufacturer in the country. International Playing Card Company, a Canadian subsidiary of USPC since 1914, maintained its own manufacturing operation from 1928 to 1991. Currently, International Playing Card Company is a sales and marketing organization located in Ontario. The United States Playing Card Company was acquired by a series of new owners: Diamond International in 1969, Jessup & Lamont in 1982, Frontenac in 1989.
In late 1994, however, after a long and tedious struggle, Company Management, along with some local investors were ultimately victorious in accomplishing a buyout. The ownership of The United States Playing Card Company was finally returned to its Cincinnati roots.
The United States Playing Card Company is now a part of Jarden Branded Consumables, an operating division of Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH), after accepting a buyout offer in 2004.
As of 2009 The United states Playing Card Company has moved to a more efficient building at 300 Gap Way, Erlanger, Kentucky.
[edit] Product line
The company offers several card brands, including:
[edit] Aviator
Introduced in 1927 in commemoration of Charles Lindbergh's trans-Atlantic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis, Aviator playing cards feature a bordered, monotone back design of predominantly circles. They are comparable in quality to Bee and Bicycle cards and are available in the same general assortment of back colors, card sizes, and card configurations.
[edit] Bee
Bee Playing Cards are a casino card brand. They were first manufactured by Consolidated-Dougherty in 1892, hence the number "92" on the Ace of Spades (the standard poker deck is now known as deck type 92); the USPC acquired the company soon after. Bee playing cards have a diamond back, typically blue or red, though casinos frequently use customized Bee cards featuring a logo added to the backs. Unlike Bicycle cards, Bee cards have borderless backs, making the facing of any card that is even partially revealed clearly visible. However, the diamond back of the card is very regular and low-profile compared to other back designs, which simplifies "bottom-dealing" and other forms of sleight-of-hand.
Bee Playing Cards are comparable to Bicycle Playing Cards, which are not as frequently used in casinos. However, Bee Playing Cards are often found in Hong Kong movies.
[edit] Bicycle
Bicycle Playing Cards are a popular brand of standard playing cards, and are the USPCC's original brand and product. Since 1885, the Bicycle brand has been manufactured by the United States Printing Company, which, in 1894, became the United States Playing Card Company of Cincinnati. "Bicycle" is a trademark of that company. They are popular with magicians and other card enthusiasts.
The typical Bicycle deck (Poker-standard Type 808) is a standard issue deck of cards consisting of 52 traditional Anglo-American playing cards, two jokers, an information card, and a card describing poker ranks. As with most decks, the first standard card of the deck is the uniquely-stylized Ace of Spades. The Bicycle trademark is usually also printed on the Ace of Spades. The type number of a Bicycle deck can be found both on the bottom of the deck box and on the stone of the Joker artwork.
Bicycle playing cards are sold in a variety of decks featuring different cards (such as for use in pinochle), back designs (including the traditional rider back and older Vintage backs), face designs (including Jumbo Index and Lo Vision cards for the visually impaired, and a "PokerPeek" design on their Pro series decks that simplifies looking at hole cards), and sizes (such as narrower bridge decks, thicker Masters Edition cards designed to last longer, and Big Bicycle cards that are four times the normal card size). Any of the aforementioned are traditionally available with red and blue backs, but other back colors (including black, silver, and even pastel colors) are also available. There is even a "Ghost" deck that is entirely black and white except for red hearts and diamonds on the corners of appropriate cards. Consumer paper versions of the plastic KEM type WSOP decks are sold under the Bicycle brand.
Bicycle playing cards are commonly used in card magic and flourishes, and are generally considered by magicians as the best playing cards for most tricks, particularly those tricks where the facing of the card needs to be concealed (this is allowed by the white border on the back of the card). In addition to specialty decks specifically designed for card tricks, Bicycle also make other kinds of non-standard card decks, such as a "gaff" deck (contained in a mirrored-art box) with an assortment of unusually-altered cards that can be used with regular cards for tricks or jokes.
[edit] Congress
The first brand of cards introduced by the company in 1881, when it was still known as Russell, Morgan, and Co., Congress is currently the USPC's signature brand name for bridge cards and accessories. Congress cards feature a wide assortment of colorful and artistically-inspired back designs. Each Congress deck consists of the 52 standard cards (the Ace of Spades design is the same as that on Bicycle decks), two jokers, and an information card describing bridge scoring. Congress cards are commonly sold in sets of two decks: each deck bearing art complementary to the other (to allow for the common bridge practice of pre-shuffling an alternate deck for the next hand while the one deck is in play). Both standard and jumbo index cards (for the visually impaired) are available.
[edit] KEM
KEM Plastic Playing Cards are made from cellulose acetate, and are considered the "gold standard" of Poker playing cards because they are considered the most durable cards available: able to withstand even washing and still be playable. Just about all USA casino poker rooms use KEM cards for this reason, leaving the casino-traditional Bee cards for the Blackjack tables. Since 2007, the official cards of the World Series of Poker have been plastic KEM cards (though they bear the Bicycle brand name). KEM cards are also available to the consumer (usually at specialty game shops) with various back colors and designs in both poker (wide) and bridge (narrow) sizes.
[edit] PokerPeek
USPC debuted a new line of plastic cards called "PokerPeek" at the 2007 World Series of Poker. The face of each card has the rank and suit at all four corners, at a 45° angle to the card's edges, and the size of the traditional face designs are reduced and flanked by jumbo-index ranks. The design was an attempt to make it easier for players to read their hole cards, while at the same time making it more difficult for anyone but that player to discern their hand. However, the new cards were largely pulled from play and replaced with decks having a more traditional face layout due to complaints from players due to the tiny sized indexes and confusion with the "6" and the "9".[1] The "PokerPeek" face design was integrated into the paper Bicycle Pro series of casino-quality cards aimed at the home market, and currently available at retail as of 2008.
