Obchodní tiskárny Kolín (OTK) - Hrací karty Jednohlavé č. 26

9/21/2026

Obchodní tiskárny Kolín (OTK) - Hrací karty Jednohlavé č. 26

INTRODUCTION & IDENTIFICATION DETAILS

Unlike other Central European German-suited patterns, the one we present today is rather sparsely documented. In fact, there is not even a dedicated Pattern Sheet for it in the IPCS classification. My sincere thanks go to Paweł, who has once again contributed essential information without which this post would not have been possible.

Our featured pack was made in former Czechoslovakia around 1975 by the state-owned Obchodní Tiskárny Kolín (OTK) —at its Plant 21 in Prague— and bears the name Hrací Karty Jednohlavé č. 26/Pl. (Single-headed Playing Cards No. 26/Pl.). It comprises 32 German-suited cards and showcases the Bohemian pattern.

This copy additionally preserves paper slips from the factory: the label detailing the official approval codes alongside the state-regulated price of 17 Kčs (Czechoslovak korunas), as well as quality control coupon No. 27, complete with complaint procedures and a cautionary note to avoid damaging the cards during shuffling.

MANUFACTURER BACKGROUND

To gain a broad historical perspective, we must go back to 1879, when lithographer Josef Ferdinand Gregor secured a printing concession and founded Gregorovy tiskárny (Gregor Printing Works) in Kolín. The following year, this concession the concession passed to Josef Leopold Bayer, and the business became popularly known as "Bayerka".

Meanwhile, in 1884, Jan Ritter established his eponymous playing card workshop in Prague, which merged with Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne in 1899, while retaining its own trading name for commercial operations in the city. Following Ritter’s death in 1901, however, the firm’s activity was reduced to selling items from Piatnik’s catalogue. Starting in 1919, the company regained greater autonomy and began producing its own designs, adopting the distinctive Pegasus logo in 1920.

Following World War II, the Czechoslovak playing card industry was nationalized. More specifically, in 1950, Ritter, Piatnik a synové, and J. L. Bayer —among others— were incorporated into the state-owned Obchodní tiskárny Kolín (Commercial Printing Works Kolín), or OTK. Card production retained much of the visual identity inherited from Ritter, including the Pegasus.

Between 1990 and 1994, the company underwent a process of denationalization, becoming fully privatized in 1995. From that point on, playing card manufacturing entered a steady decline, ceasing entirely in 2010.

That same year, Hrací karty s.r.o. acquired the machinery, inventory, and rights to the registered designs and the Pegasus trademark, thereby recovering much of the historical legacy of Ritter and OTK. The new company resumed production in 2011.

In 2015, Hrací karty 1884 s.r.o. became the legal successor to Hrací karty s.r.o., continuing to this day with a Czech playing card manufacturing tradition that spans more than a century.

PATTERN ORIGINS & ICONOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

Our pack features the Bohemian pattern, also known as the Prager pattern, which is notable for its single-ended cards, unlike other Central European patterns that favor double-ended cards. In fact, in the Czech Republic it is known as Jednohlavé karty (single-headed cards) as opposed to Dvouhlavé karty (double-headed cards), a term used, as seen in another post, for reversible patterns like the Tell.

While the design seems to have consolidated in the early 19th century, the persistence of single-ended cards is a consequence of its lineage, as it descends from the Old Bavarian pattern, which originated around the 16th century.

Although traits of the Saxon pattern (which emerged in the 18th century) can be identified, such as the bear or lion on the Ace (Daus) of Acorns, the iconography is clearly anchored in the Old Bavarian, which we also see in other South German patterns like the Franconian and the Salzburg.

This kinship can be clearly seen in the court cards, as they replicate the motifs almost identically, particularly in the Unters and Obers:

Leaves: feature the military pairing, with the Unter as a fifer and the Ober as a drummer.
Hearts: they carry polearms.
Bells: they wield a longsword.
Acorns: engage in two-handed combat wielding short swords.

As for the four Kings, they appear seated, flanked at the top by two pips.

The pip cards warrant special attention. Not only do they retain the traditional elements like the rest of the pack, but in this pattern they have also achieved a high degree of standardization across manufacturers and models over the years. The illustrations at the bottom of the cards, depicting various animals, people, and objects, remain remarkably consistent. This appears to reflect the strong familiarity players developed with these motifs; a useful aid to speed up gameplay in a pattern that presents certain practical drawbacks due to its single-ended cards.

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With its unusual historical path and the scant documentation that has reached the present day, the Bohemian pattern stands as an intriguing example of how traditions can endure across generations without remaining strictly static. Its inheritance from the Old Bavarian pattern, coexisting with elements drawn from other lineages, alongside the standardization of the vignettes on the pip cards, ultimately forged a recognizable visual identity closely tied to the Czech card-making tradition.