Inspired by Celtic art and illuminated manuscripts, this deck is in all respects a standard. Direct comparison alongside any common playing card reveals that all of the essential features of the Anglo-American Deck have been maintained and enhanced. Ben Crenshaw, an avid card player himself, never set out to create a new deck, but rather to “breath new life into old friends”.

Reading

The English Pattern
Regional Patterns of 18th Century France
Gallery of Early Standard Playing Cards

L I N K S

PlainBacks.com: Extensive gallery of early standard playing cards. Famous American and English makers. Plain Backs is a celebration of the English Court Card as a cultural design icon.
DXPO Playing Cards: Exposé of early and contemporary European Standards.
International Playing Card Society Decline of the English Court Card.