The United States Playing Card Company is proud to share this piece of our history with playing card enthusiasts and fans. First introduced in 1886 during the Russell and Morgan Printing Co. era, the Capitol brand of playing cards was in printed until 1928. Throughout its print run, it featured six different card backs. We are offering the original card back. This special edition deck has been reproduced from our extensive playing card collection for the enjoyment of a new generation of playing card collectors

Carte Romane were designed by Giorgio Pessione for Capitol Carta Roma, 1973. The publishers were aiming to establish “Carte Romane” as a distinctive regional pattern for Rome, the most famous of all cities, capital of Italy, which up to that time was missing from card tables. The deck celebrates the ancient history of Rome, founded on an act of love and death. The cards have traditional Hispano-Italian suit symbols, and the courts feature Roman-style warrior-knaves, centurion-knights and emperor-kings. Symbols and allegories such as the Mouth of Truth for coins, Roman daggers, Vesta’s Temple, the Colosseum, Arch of Titus, the letters S.P.Q.R. etc. decorate the cards. Unfortunately they were not successful owing to the greater popularity of the Piacentine pattern.