Description

1883 Murphy Varnish Transformation Standard Playing Cards

The Standard: A recreation of the original in a modern tuck box. The original had a blank back, but for the standard the front and back of the tuck will be identical.

-Replica of Tuck Box

-Custom Stamp Seal

-Linoid Finish

-Bee Stock

The Murphy Varnish Transformation Playing Cardswere originally printed in 1883 by Andrew Dougherty. It was an advertising deck for the Murphy Varnish company from Newark New Jersey. The Murphy Varnish company was founded in 1865 by Franklin Murphy, the former Governor of New Jersey.

In a transformation deck there are unique pictures on each card intertwined with the pips, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades, & Hearts. As an advertising deck it depicts comical pictures of varnish salesmen, people worshiping cans of varnish and all of the good uses for the Murphy Varnish.

In the Hochman Encyclopedia of Playing Cards it is listed as both a transformation deck and as an advertising deck. The deck is so popular it is actually on the cover of the Hochman encyclopedia of American Playing Cards.

Last two pictures compare the originals to the restored version.