my playing card collection
CEKI
from Indonesia
Maker:
Country:
Artist:
Year:
Type:
Suit:
Harmsen Verwey & Dunlop N. V.
Indonesia
Unknown
Unknown
30 x 2 cards 59 x28mm
Chinese Money Suit
Old Thousand
Red Flower
White Flower
Above: The three honour cards
This Ceki deck is rather crudely printed on coarse card. The packet reads Handelsvereeniging Harmsen Verwey & Dunlop N.V. Java- Sumatra- Celebes. The company dates from the Dutch occupation of Indonesia and seem to have been importers but must have been manufacturers as well to make these cards. (Handelsvereeniging means Trade Union).
In the Dutch colonial era, the original Ambacang Hotel in Padang in West Sumatra was the headqurters of the Central Trading Company and the Handelsvereeniging Harmsen Verwey & Dunlop N.V. When it became a hotel, it retained the architectural style and atmosphere of the Dutch colonial period. However the original building was destroyed, with significant loss of life, by the major earthquake to strike West Sumatra in 2009. Following the destruction , the ruins were demolished and a new Hotel Ambacang built on the site.
The game is a trick taking game, the rules of the game can be found here on Andy Pollets website
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
COINS
STRINGS
MYRIADS
The wrapper front
Each deck has two identical sets of 30 cards. The 30 cards are made up of three sets of 9 cards plus three honour cards. However two decks are required to play , so there would be 120 cards in total.
The chinese number characters of 1 to 9 can be seen on the myriad cards. A little hard to read in this deck but the notches at the top and bottom of each cards make it easy to match the card numbers when playing.
The wrapper back