The very first transformation deck issued by Cotta is from 1805. This deck is probably the most famous of all six, and is incredibly scarce. Original illustrations were fiddling artworks done by hand, on copper plates that were manually engraved with stipple and etching, and the cards were printed on linen period stock that was 97 mm x 69 mm in size, with blank card backs and squared corners at that time. Only the court cards were hand-colored, while the number cards used red stencils.

Cotta’s transformation cards were very successful and became a role model for later transformation decks from other publishers. And since the card backs were blank, individual cards were sometimes used by the nobility as visit cards and for leaving messages, so these playing cards often became multi-purpose items.

The images on the court cards are characters inspired by Schiller's play "Die Jungfrau von Orleans" ("Joan of Arc").

The central figure of Joan of Arc is depicted as the Queen of Spades, the Maid of Orleans who inspired the French army to victory, but was later burned at the stake.

The court cards were designated with the words "Valet", "Dame", and "Roi", which are the French terms corresponding to the Jack, Queen, and King.

In the first deck, beside Joan of Arc depicted as the Queen of Spades, other individuals closely associated with Joan include Etienne de Vignolles or La Hire (Jack of Hearts), who helped Joan to victory in the battle of Patay in 1429; and Raymond (Jack of Diamonds), a peasant who was Joan's page.

Key political leaders who figured prominently in the events surrounding Joan's life are also represented, including King Charles VII (King of Hearts), the French monarch who relied on Joan's help to reach the Rhiems, the traditional place of coronation; Charles' mother Isabeau (Queen of Hearts), who was in league with Charles' enemy; Charles' mistress Agnes Sorel (Queen of Diamonds); Charles' opponent Philippe the Good (King of Diamonds), an ally of England; and the king of Naples, René d'Anjou (King of Clubs), who lost the kingdom after defeat in battle. General Talbot (King of Spades) was the English commander of the outpost of Orleans at Saint Loup, who was wounded in battle, captured, and was part of a prisoner exchange.

Both Joan's "sister" Louison (Queen of Clubs) and Montgomery (Jack of Clubs) are fictional creations of Schiller, while the fictional Lionel (Jack of Spades) is the character who holds up Joan's sword in a location revealed by the voices that she supposedly heard telling her to help.

KickStarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playingcarddecks/cottas-almanac-1-transformation-playing-cards-reproduction

Introducing a precisely restored and digitally hand-recreated reproduction of the next Cotta's almanac violet deck (VI) full of history, for the sixth time, continuing after the previous purple-pink (V), red (IV), yellow (III), green (II), and blue one (I), which was the first published complete transformation playing card deck in the world!

The idea behind the concept of Cotta's transformation decks was to create a series of six decks on an annual basis from 1805-1811. The violet "Knightly Orders" 1811 almanac deck is the sixth in a series of six famous transformation playing card decks we planned to release...This sixth Cotta's almanac playing cards deck was originally published in 1811.

The court card figures depict members of various knightly orders and the characters are in the robes of various orders of real knighthood/damehood or spiritual orders, while the theme of number cards is romantic or even spiritual with a variety of subjects & sixteen of pip cards have scenes that can be considered illustrative of the four seasons.

Additionally to the series of Cotta's almanac decks, all influenced by notable authors, and bottom lined as somehow always mysteriously connected with German poetic genius Johann Christoph Friedrich (von) Schiller, this one might also draw on aspects from another Schiller's cosmopolitan thinker philosophical response work - especially when interfered with surveying public question about his quiet Masonic potential membership, but this has not been proven yet...

Features:

• Printed by USPCC on Classic Stock
• Poker Size
• Embossed (Linen) Finish
• 52 Cards + 2 Extra 17th-century Jokers + 2 Extra Collectible 16th-century Art Cards
• Metallic Ink On Box & Card Backs (Both Versions of Tucks and Card Backs inside)
• Custom Seals - Numbered and Standard
• Puzzle Image on all Tuck Spines of the Series (Inking Vary by Tuck Version)
• Digitally Hand-Recreated/Restored and Designed by Azured Ox
• Produced By Will Roya

Introducing a precisely restored and digitally hand-recreated reproduction of the next Cotta's almanac deck full of history, and for the fifth time, strongly touched by Schiller's works, continuing after the previous red, yellow, green, and blue one, which was the first published complete transformation playing card deck in the world!

The purple "Aeneid or Pantheon" deck is the fifth in a series of six famous transformation playing card decks we plan to release...

This fifth Cotta's almanac playing cards deck was originally published in 1810.

The court card figures depict various mythological characters, while the number cards include caricatures of famous people like Napoleon, and a variety of comical subjects.

Additionally to the series of Cotta's almanac decks, all influenced by notable authors, this one might also draw on aspects from another Schiller's poetic work - especially the unique translation from Vergil's Aeneid.

Schiller with his own style and effect had translated various parts at various times (his first translations of Aeneid appeared anonymously in the eleventh issue of the Swabian Magazine in 1780 under the title "Der Sturm auf Dem Tyrrhener Meer") and his light and congenial labor mostly continued to occupy him for a year or more after the break-down of his health (resulted in death in the year 1805, when blue Cotta's deck was originally issued for the first time), while he fully completed Book II - "Troy" (spring 1791) and Book IV - "Dido" (winter 1791), according to letters written to his friend Gottfried dated April 10th and October 24th, 1791.