Me (Jyl)…. playing card collector and tree-hugger…. a contradiction in terms, no…?
Good to have your company fellow collector! Hopefully you’ve found yourself here because you love playing cards. What a coincidence! So do I!!! Ok, so… Let me tell you a bit about myself.
My name is Jyl. I live in the beautiful Glens of Antrim in Northern Ireland.
Collecting playing cards and jokers has been a hobby of mine for about 30 years on and off. I say on and off because I tend to go through phases of seeing loads of cards I like and spending a fortune buying them up. Then the bank statement arrives…… And so I forbid myself to buy anything for months on end… Until it starts again.
My passion for jokers began many years ago in my childhood. I’ve commented on this in detail in my page The Early Years for anyone who would like to know how someone ever becomes interested in playing cards.
As soon as I was able to, I began collecting jokers for myself and keeping them in binders. Sometimes this meant having to buy a complete deck so I could remove the jokers. I also have a bit of a ‘thing’ for The Jack of Spades, so I have a couple of binders with just him in them.
All of my 3500+ Joker collection in binders.
Of course, not all collectors would split packs like this. Some would even see it as sacrilege. But as I believe that this collection is for me, then I should be able to do it in whichever way I want to. That is reflected in the name of the site – I Collect Playing Cards. This site is by no means a guide on HOW to collect your cards – it’s just about how I do it. I do not sell any of my decks. I collect them all. And I appreciate them all.
I want to use this site to not only show you my collection, but also offer insightful hints and tips on collecting, and information on the history of the playing card, as well as highlight new decks, artists etc.
Our brand new shop…..!!
I’ve added a ‘shop’ section to the site where I’m selling some of my surplus playing card decks. When I pledge on Kickstarter I almost always get more than one deck, so I can keep one and sell the rest on here. New decks are being added regularly, so please keep checking back for new additions. I’ve tried to work my postage out fairly, but if you order a few decks and you’re not happy with the charge, just email me on shop@icollectplayingcards.com and I’ll see if I can do you a better price.
Now selling t-shirts…!!!
Purple King of Clubs T-Shirt. Hey, if you want it, you got it, who am I to judge….?
I’m also selling some t-shirts with my own designs on them. Like I’ve said on the t-shirts page, the colours shown are just examples of what you can get – it’s basically up to you. If you see a design that you like and you want it on a purple t-shirt with apple green print then that’s no problem. Hey…. it’s you who has to wear it, not me…!! Haha!! Seriously though, all my t-shirts are made to order – they’re not pre-printed and sitting on a shelf waiting for someone to order them. So what the customer wants, the customer gets. Why not get yourself something completely unique that no one else would ever think of…? Email me on shop@icollectplayingcards.com and let me know what you’re looking for (t-shirt colour / print colour) and I’ll let you know if it’s do-able :)
I welcome all feedback so please do leave a message below. Any questions, please just ask. Any advice to share? Please do. I’m not an expert. Not by a long shot. So any and all comments are most welcome.
Enjoy the site :)
Jyl
Founder of I Collect Playing Cards
www.icollectplayingcards.com
email: jyl@icollectplayingcards.com
What a fun and interesting hobby! I had never thought about it but I can only imagine that there really are a wide variety of joker cards out there to choose from! This is a great site for anyone who loves to collect cards, to learn from each other and share places to find these rare collectibles.
Thanks Debbie, I do want the site to be interesting – hopefully I’ve achieved that :)
Card collecting sounds like an interesting hobby! I didn’t even know it was a thing but it sounds like great fun :) I like that you gave a lot of information about how you collect cards and don’t assume that’s how everyone does it. Rock your story! I will keep reading as the history of playing cards sounds interesting. Thanks!
Thanks for your comment Racheal, I hope you enjoy the rest of the site :)
Wow, You have not only great site but a great deal of information over cards. Your website has been very informative for the audience searching different types of cards. I have plans to visit again to see your new posts as well. Keep up the good works and best of luck.
Thank you Arshad, it’s good to know that all my hard work isn’t in vain :)
Hi Jyl,
I like your website very much. What a passion you have! What are the most interesting cards you’ve collected so far? Are you also interested in old cards? I have some very old joker cards from my grand mom from Czechoslovakia. We call them “žolíky” :-)
Thanks David. How interesting that you still have your Grandmothers old jokers. Hang onto them because they might be worth something :) I do like old cards – I love to see how playing card designs have developed throughout the years. Although lately, there has been a dramatic upsurge in new designs, which I love! It’s hard to say which are the most interesting, or my favourites… there are so many… Thanks for your comment David :)
Wonderful site! I look forward to visiting more often!
Thank you for looking, much appreciated. Glad you like the site, there’s plenty more to come so you’ll not be disappointed :)
What a great way to display your hobby. You have really made your collection come alive and become of interest , even for those who are not collectors themselves.
Life just gets better!
Thank you so much John :) You never know how people are going to react to your own hobby so getting such positive feedback is brilliant! Thanks :)
Hi Jyl,
A nice colourful site you have! The background looks great. Can’t believe how many Jokers you have! That must have taken some time/money. It would be nice to see a picture of you on here. How about putting your face into one of the cards?!
Scott
Hi Jyl,
What a different sort of site this is, and what a very interesting start you’ve made to it. I can imagine the potential artistic merit of playing card design is almost limitless, and since almost everyone has played card games of some sort in their lives it’s likely to appeal to almost everyone to some degree or other. Really looking forward to seeing where this site leads, and if I may say so you have a wonderfully engaging style of writing, too – really enjoyable to read.
Phil
Hi Jyl!
I think you have a very special, and unique niche website. I wasn’t aware that the Bicycle brand produced so many different styles of playing cards. Playing cards influenced by influenced by gothic Romanticism and pre-Raphaelite paintings , like works of art.
Be nice to see an array of other brands as well for comparison purposes. Would like to see a picture of yourself under About me.
Best of luck with your site. Hope you can find a moment visit my site and comment.
thanks
Tim
So cool to collect playing cards, especially Jokers! And I really liked reading your story, I will definitely come back again to check out new content. :)
Thank you for your feedback, it’s much appreciated. I’ve plenty more to add to the site so please do pop back again :)