Help Find Info on Deck I Found 1JJSwiss

[cry4thelion]

I inherited a deck of 1jj swiss cards from my grandmother. they say fabrique de cartes j.muller &cie. on L'Empereur, and fabrique de cartes a shaffhouse on the 2 of coins. but they came in a wooded box that has gold paint with floral egravings down the sides and pictures of the cards L'Empereur and La Justice on the front and back. There is no information about what edition it is. I have found 3 pictures on google of similar boxes but with different cards featured on the box but none of the people who posted them have any more information to share. I would very much like to know what edition they are or about what year they came out. I included photos of the box as well as the other boxes I've seen

[Charlie Brown]

I've never seen it in that box, but the 1JJ Swiss is a venerable deck. In the US, it was one of the rst, possibly the first(I think) decks published by US Games. It's technically a Tarot de Besancon, which means that instead of the Pope and Papess, you have Jupiter and Juno (hence the JJ in the nomenclature). The reason for this was that during that time, in that area, there were some reservations about picturing the pope. Meuller was the printer for the early US games decks, so it's possible/probable that it's that edition in some kind of weird box. I know from talking to some of the older folks that this deck used to be readily available in Spencer Gifts and the like.

I have a copy. I read a lot of TdM and, speaking as a TdM reader it's a nice deck. It's different enough to be a change of pace but still reads smooth and easy.

[cry4thelion]

thank you for the information, i know about the the 1jj deck but the box is something i havent seen alot of and was wondering what edition came out in these kinds of boxes.

[Diana]

What an extraordinary find. That box is very unusual.

And it's printed by J. Müller and not AG Muller. It's only in 1960 that the company started being called AG Müller. (AG means "limited company" - so I don't know if that refers to this or if AG are also coincidentally the initials of a name as well but I think rather it's the former.) So one can date the deck definitely as being printed before 1960. They are no longer independent since 1999 and belong now to a French conglomerate called Cartamundi.

Johannes Müller died in 1873 in Schaffhausen (Switzerland). There's an article that's not too badly translated by the automatic translation which tells his whole story - from his apprenticeship of a cardmaker to becoming the owner of a flourishing card company.

https://translate.google.com/translate? ... rev=search

If I were you, I'd write directly to the company (now AG Müller) to ask them what they have in their archives about this deck, if you can't find anything on the internet. The box is most intriguing. Almost looks like some kind of special edition. In fact, if you don't write, I think I will !!

One day someone should write a book or an article on the Swiss connections to the Tarot. There are so many.

[cry4thelion]

I wrote to the company but haven't received a reply at all. I'm becoming very discouraged in ever finding out more information about this.

[Diana]

Try and write one more time. Sometimes they need a bit of push these people. If you don't receive a reply after that, let me know and I'll give them a call and ask if they have any archives (I'm in Switzerland so it's easier for me than you). God knows what happened when the company changed hands.

[cry4thelion]

i wrote them again but still nothing. i even wrote both the american and swiss branches websites. not even a courtesy reply

[deja0721]

Hope this helps you on your research. I have the same deck. I inherited them from my family. What I do know is that they were sold in Italy not sure if they were imported to the US. They may of just came from family inheritance in the USA and that is why there is not many of them floating on the internet. I have Italian roots. Most likely early 1900's, maybe 1920s/1930s, definitely not 1970s made. The box is called an Italian Florentine box. I am still researching them if I find any more information I would be glad to share with you.