The Wonder Pack of The Universe

You don't need skill, talent, brains or ability to check out my collection of vintage Svengali decks. These playing cards are trick decks, mechanical decks - they walk, talk, snort, jump through a hoop and do a tap dance on the table - watch as I demonstrate.

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· Last updated 8y

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Detail of the art on the sides of ten Svengali decks.

an old book with the words svengali wonder on it

David Walker

Bridgeport Connecticut

Episode #54 – Pitchman S. David Walker

Sharp design on a Sherms Svengali deck, from Robert Sherman's magic factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

an old match box with the words magician's dream realized

Card Art

The Back

Wonder

The back of a vintage pack of Svengali cards from Sherms.

an old match card with the number 24 on it

Baseball Cards

An interesting approach to the Svengali deck. This package from Joe Stuthard puts the buyer in the position of having to collate the cards themselves. This wrapper is exceedingly rare, in that almost all of them were thrown away after the buyer had put their deck together. This was found with a matching regular deck and a copy of Stuthard's Svengali booklet.

an old black and white photo of people looking at items on a table in a store

Historical Figures

Magician and Svengali pitchman Joe Stuthard.

an old black and white photo of some people

Family History

I Saw

The Incredibles

Magician and Svengali pitchman Joe Stuthard in Australia in 1965.

four playing cards, one in blue and one in white

This Svengali deck is a Liberty Bell whist deck, released by the Standard Playing Card Co., Chicago. The tax stamp was in use from 1929 to 1940. Someone has written a letter and a number on the back of the box in pencil; it points out the key card. It handles well for being a least 70 years old.

three playing cards are sitting next to each other

Stamp

Book Cover

The tax stamp on this Sherms deck was in use from 1924 to 1929.

two playing cards, one in red and the other in white with an upside down design

An elegant Art Deco design on this Svengali deck from the 1939 New York World's Fair, featuring the Trylon and Perisphere. Notice that the force card is lightly written in pencil near the top of the box.