Fortuna Playing Cards No. 169 Foreign

The origin of the Fortuna Playing Cards 169 is unclear to us. The design might be from early 1920, but since the deck has two jokers, the cards have probably been produced in the 1950 when the game Canasta became popular. Have been published by Waddington’s from London, are they maybe American or French (Ducale)? Were the meant for overseas export since the box is mentioning the word ‘Foreign’? We simply don’t know. Any feedback is welcome...

The box, that shows some serious wear and tear, tells us that there are 53 cards, that are overall in reasonable good condition, and that one joker is enclosed. However, there are 52 cards, two jokers, two blanc cards with different colored retro’s and finally two extra Ladies (also with different coloring of the back). Maybe several incomplete decks were made into one.

A mysterious deck of cards which musty appearance leads to fantasies of smoky bars and rough times where cards were being used not only for fun but also for divination.