Gambling Memorabilia Featuring the Collection of Tom Blue

Jazaniah H. Ford “Lafayette” Playing Cards. [Milton, Mass.]: Jazaniah H. Ford, [ca. 1824]. 52 (complete). Printed in red and black, engraved courts and Ace of Spades with hand-coloring. Ace of Clubs split and repaired with old tape; a few cards with chipped corners; two 7D cards, one with two pips blotted out and corrected to “5 of Diamonds” in old ink, completing the suit. Hochman W3. Rare. This deck commemorated the 1824 return to the United States of the Marquis de Lafayette, who had been invited by President James Monroe in part to celebrate the upcoming fiftieth anniversary of the nation’s founding. Massive celebrations in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia were organized to welcome the beloved Revolutionary War hero, and provided an opportunity for Ford to release his cards. An earlier deck by Ford, honoring Stephen Decatur, and featuring the same courts, had been released in 1815, but for this deck, the courts were re-engraved with finer detail, and the Ace of Spades was redesigned to incorporate a bust of Lafayette. Ford was the first Boston-area manufacturer of playing cards, and the first to issue a deck commemorating American history.