Six Spades, Antique Playing Cards, Presumed Belgian, Late 18th C. cheese wedge desk object His "backward R/forward R" maker’s

His "backward R/forward R" maker’s mark dates from the 50s and appears on objects sold internationally through the export company Gebr

these sorts of baskets were only produced when plants were at  the right stage of maturation

I purchased this piece from a very fine consignment/antiques shop just outside of Boston

Structurally super sound and sturdy

Six Spades, Antique Playing Cards, Presumed Belgian, Late 18th C. cheese wedge desk object His "backward R/forward R" maker’sI first purchased a batch of heart pips from this very same deck from a seller in Holland, who has been parsing them out a few at a time. When he posted these I snatched them up immediately I think they are just extraordinarily beautiful! I believe they date to the 1780s or so and are likely Belgian, which was a hub for playing card production in the 18th century, largely for export to England. I just love their imperfectly cut, square edged,