Six Spades, Antique Playing Cards, Presumed Belgian, Late 18th C. cheese wedge desk object I purchased this piece from

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

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

Structurally super sound and sturdy

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

which has rusted a fair amount

Six Spades, Antique Playing Cards, Presumed Belgian, Late 18th C. cheese wedge desk object I purchased this piece fromI 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,