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Up for online sale is a rare and well-preserved 19th-century "Bourgeois Tarock" card deck produced by the master printer C.L. Wüst of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. This specific configuration is the shortened 54-card variant designed primarily for regional trick-taking games like Cego.
Wüst's iconic Encyclopedic design is legendary among playing card historians, replacing old mythological motifs with beautifully engraved vignettes of 19th-century European town, rural, and bourgeois social life.
**CONDITION DETAILS:**
This antique deck contains 53 total cards out of the regional 54-card set, missing only the Queen of Spades. The remaining court cards, aces, illustrated trumps, and pips display an incredible, genuine antique character.
* **Card Faces:** Intricate, sharp printing definitions. Mild, uniform surface soiling and age-appropriate toning consistent with a deck that is roughly 140+ years old.
* **Card Backs:** Gorgeous multicolored plaid tartan patterns with expected light handling wear.
* **Edges & Corners:** Square-cut corners show typical edge softening, but the card stock remains structurally sound with no deep creases, heavy splits, or crude repairs.
An excellent, highly sought-after acquisition for collections specializing in antique paper ephemera, German manufacturing history, or vintage Tarock/Tarot variants.
It is missing the queen of spades.
These cards are over 150 years old and show age consistent with that timeframe including wear, discoloration and mildew spots.
