Tuesday, June 25, 2024

When Tikis Trumped!

 This week I went to an estate sale the next street over from my house and although my wife found several things to love (she is really into glass and china- I'm not so much), only one thing caught my eye. These...


Yes, a vintage deck of Hawaiin souvenir cards! Let's take a look at the other side of the box, shall we?


Ah, yes. A beautiful Hawaiin maiden dancing in front of beautiful Hawaiin views in colors that just scream "vintage!"

Just for completeness, the end of the box...


Whenever you buy cards, there is a chance that some are missing. I only payed a buck for the deck, so I didn't bother checking until I got home. I got lucky! All there!
Notice the card with Bridge instructions. Bridge was very big in the 50's and early 60's. Now you would be more likely to have a card explaining poker hands...


The cards were made by Dainippon, which is a Japanese company (hence "Nippon" in the name.) If you look at the joker in the above photo, you can see the Japanese influence. I hadn't heard of Dainippon, but I have heard of another Japanese company that started out by making playing cards- Nintendo.

My best research (I Googled a couple of times, not just once!) only revealed that these cards are "vintage," which I already knew. In fact, I only found one exact match to this deck and it wasn't specifically mentioned in the post. Rats!

Putting on our detective caps, we can guess that these are from the late 50's to very early 60's (I'd wager 1959- 1961). Hawaii became a state in 1959 and these play up that aspect. They could have even been made before official statehood was granted, since it was no secret that Eisenhower was going to do it. 

Why do I like them? Because I like the whole Tiki culture boom that was born around that time! Don the Beachcomber, The Enchanted Tiki Room! All cherished gems of American kitch! And now I have my little part as well.

I think it's neat that I found these in the same year that I was able to once again sit in the original Tiki Room at Disneyland and enjoy the show with my daughter! These are a great reminder of that moment!

So there you go! Sometimes "treasure" is only worth a buck to some people, but a lot more to others!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

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5 comments:

  1. JBJune 25, 2024 at 11:53 PM

    A cool find! And the cards appear to be unused, or at least in good condition. The Bridge instructions are completely baffling to me; no idea what they're talking about. I do like the part about "No Trump" though. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stu29573June 26, 2024 at 5:48 AM

      Yeah, Bridge makes no sense. I think people just sat around a table, drank, gossiped, and faked it. That's my theory and I'm stickin' with it!
      My parents (and grandparents) were much more into a domino hame called "42." The rules, as best as I can recall, were the same.
      Please note: the title of this post is NOT a political statement. ;-)

      Delete
  2. Lou and SueJuly 1, 2024 at 10:48 AM

    Anything 'tiki' is great! And I would have a hard time not using these cards to play Solitaire. Holding playing cards is a lot better than holding a computer mouse, when it comes to Solitaire.

    Thank you for sharing. BTW, I would love to see what your wife picked up, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stu29573July 1, 2024 at 4:32 PM

      I totally agree on the "physical card" point! I have a few decks of Haunted Mansion cards that I use too!
      I'll post a picture of Laurie's grab in this next post just for you, Sue!

      Delete
  3. Lou and SueJuly 1, 2024 at 6:09 PM

    Mrs. Stu’s Attic!
    I’m looking forward to it!

    ReplyDelete

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