Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland

8/30/2026

Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland - Amstel

This entry is dedicated to Tom Korderijnk from the Netherlands, who has generously donated this and other packs to the collection, as well as pointing me toward key sources to document their history. Collaborations like this not only strengthen our community, but also greatly enrich the archive. My heartfelt thanks.

INTRODUCTION & IDENTIFICATION DETAILS

Today we examine a stunning deck produced by the historic firm Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland. It belongs to a line that shared the same designs but was marketed under three names depending on the finish level, distinguished primarily by the number of inks used in the chromolithographic printing: the premium "Fortuna," the mid-range "Amstel"—which corresponds to our copy—and the budget-friendly "Club".

All tiers remained in production between 1915 and 1942 (with the Club variant extending until 1944). Since our copy lacks the tax stamp levied on playing cards in the Netherlands between 1920 and 1927, its manufacturing date can be placed with reasonable certainty outside that window, pointing either to the early period or the post-1927 era.

Although the maker issued this line in various formats, our set features a remarkably distinctive 33-card structure: the standard 7-to-Ace composition complemented by a 6 of Hearts as an extra card, essential for traditional Dutch games such as Pandoer.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE MANUFACTURER

Following the disappearance of domestic Dutch production during the 19th century, the market in the Netherlands at the dawn of the 20th century was almost entirely dominated by German (Dondorf, Wüst) and Belgian (Turnhout) manufacturers. In 1906, a group of publishers and printers founded the Nederlandsche Speelkaartenfabriek in an attempt to revive the national industry. However, high costs and fierce international competition drove the company into bankruptcy in 1912.

That same year, the printing firm Faddegon & Co. acquired the technical equipment and lithographic stones at auction, relaunching production under the definitive name Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland (Playing Card Factory of the Netherlands). The trade disruption caused by the First World War, which curtailed imports from Turnhout and Frankfurt, allowed the enterprise to solidify its foothold and recapture the domestic market.

Over the following decades, the house distinguished itself through exquisite technical craftsmanship (subjecting the cardstock to as many as twenty friction-glazing passes to achieve a pristine finish) and its undisputed market leadership. Between 1920 and 1927, more than half of all playing card tax revenue collected in the country came directly from its presses.

Following a second golden age after the Second World War and its subsequent shift to offset printing, the company sold its playing card division in 1970 to Belgian manufacturer Van Genechten, whose assets were integrated shortly thereafter into the founding of the international Cartamundi conglomerate.

DUTCH SCENIC ACES: A NATIONAL TRADITION

Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, the expansion of modern transport links and the rise of leisure travel across Europe popularized souvenir packs, defined by the substitution of plain aces with fine engravings of urban vistas, monuments, and landscapes. While in most countries this remained a novelty for tourists or luxury editions, in the Netherlands it took root and established an enduring tradition, evolving into a distinctive graphic hallmark. Over time, many of the depicted landmarks were altered or lost entirely, turning these cards into genuine time capsules and miniature historical records.

This tradition took hold so deeply that the standard Dutch pattern itself (as classified by the IPCS) ended up incorporating these scenic aces, defining them as a mostly constant feature.

ICONOGRAPHY & DESIGN

While our copy embraces this scenic tradition, it departs from the norm: rather than relying on the standard Dutch pattern, Speelkaartenfabriek Nederland dressed this deck with its own court design, giving the set a unique visual identity.

The pack features French suits paired with Dutch indices: A, B, V, H (though print runs with international notation A, J, Q, K also exist). The nomenclature breakdown is:

A – Aas (Ace)
B – Boer (Peasant) ⮕ Jack
V – Vrouw (Woman / Lady) ⮕ Queen
H – Heer (Lord / Nobleman) ⮕ King

For the aces in this model, the manufacturer chose to depict eight Dutch castles—two per card in the classic double-ended "mirror" layout. The name of each landmark appears along the upper edge of its illustration, while the central band dividing both panels bears the inscriptions "SPEELKAARTEN-FABR." and "NEDERLAND".

Lastly, the court cards are the defining element that sets this deck apart from the standard Dutch pattern. In fact, it does not adhere to any specific pattern, featuring instead a "freestyle" design that portrays figures in fantasy medieval garb with meticulous detail. Very much in line with the Dondorf Rhineland pattern and other Central European styles, and closely echoing the stylistic interpretations that makers such as Piatnik often bring to these designs.

CARDSTOCK, FINISHING, AND STATE OF PRESERVATION

The cards feature a smooth satin finish and are printed on card stock of remarkable flexibility and consistency, complemented by a subtle linen-embossed surface texture. The manufacturing quality easily rivals modern high-end productions, conveying a feel that might make one question its age; a doubt quickly dispelled when examining the exquisite chromolithographic printing, with a wealth of fine micro-details that can only be fully appreciated under magnification.

The magenta-toned staining on several cards cards is due to pigment transfer from the backs of adjacent cards during storage, most likely caused by humidity. Fortunately, they have not degraded the stock or print, remaining merely a slight visual mark of the passage of time without compromising the structural or aesthetic integrity of the set.