Beschreibung:

Spanish playing cards trade catalogue. Turnhout, Belgium: Mesmaekers & Moentack, 1859-1862, an album of playing cards, pp.56, blue paper leaves, 20 rectos with 4 tipped-on playing cards of various processes and with stencil colouring (80 cards total), with printed calligraphic label (3 in ink manuscript) above each group, one card from each of the 3 'Marbrées' decks mounted to display the red marbled verso, each facing verso with a mounted printed paper wrapper (20 wrappers total, adhered at corners), 6 wrappers with maker's initials M. & M., two wrappers with a portion of text excised, 6 pages towards the rear with fully adhered examples of card versos (up to 9 per page: 48 versos total), the versos divided into 3 labelled categories, each individual design with printed numbered paper label, 1 verso example possibly missing (numbered label present, but no trace of adhesive), some light spotting or toning, mainly affecting some wrappers, designs include: Cartes espagnoles A/1 nouveau modèle, Cartes espagnole A/C No.1, Cartes espagnole D marbrées, Cartes Espagnole Etroites Marbrées, Cartes Espagnole Moyennes, Cartes espagnole véritable una hoja No.2, and others similar, most album leaves with single short closed tear to bottom edge, stitching broken in one place (but firm), original cloth-backed boards with textured paper sides, rubbed with a little wear to extremities, short split to foot of front joint, front cover (one corner creased) with original printed calligraphic paper label Cartes Espagnoles, rubbed, chipped and somewhat soiled, small 4to (25 x 18.5 cm) (Quantity: 1) Mesmaekers & Moentack were only in existence beetween 1859 and 1862, when Moentack left and the company became Mesmaekers Frères.