Novelty/fake cards have been around since the mid 70’s. They can be seen as a harmless fun item but also a real concern to a collector. When these cards are passed off as the authentic jokers it undermines both trust and integrity within our collecting community.
Sometimes these cards are produced very cheaply and on a large scale. Some are very convincing, even appealing but they are not genuine. Each time one of these is knowingly traded or passed over as a genuine joker, a collector is being deceived and placed at a disadvantage. There have been cases whereby Novelty/fake/gaff items may have entered our community undetected or gone unnoticed. Some collectors will inadvertently have some of these items in their collections and not be aware of them.
Unfortunately, or fortunately for some, joker collecting has become a new and up and coming collectable. An item that has increased in popularity and value. An ideal opportunity for those, shall we say, with less than good intentions, to make capital or create mischief. Money isn’t always involved but real genuine jokers are exchanged and technically lost.
We’ve long since entered the digital age and technological era where these things are more easily conjured up. Remember A I? We owe it to each other, our shared interest and to our community to do the right thing. It’s a collective as well as an individual responsibility, to call out these phantom cards, to circulate this information and to spread awareness.
Novelty/Fake/Gaff Jokers
These can still be brought, in sets, from the Chinese online store, Temu. They are 100% novelty/fakes/gaff cards and should be avoided at all cost. Their heavy use of ink, odd designs and poor card quality, are obvious giveaways.
Yes, former US president Joe Bidden and currant president Ronald Trump feature in this line up. Yes more novelty/fakes/gaff cards, this time from the North American company called the House of Chuckles. These are all custom made, with scores of variations and characters. Printed on US playing card blanks with the traditional Rider backs. These are not real or orphaned jokers, they were never part of a deck. Although there website has been closed down and are no longer available, there are thought to be many in circulation. Avoid at all cost.
The above were produced to promote the rock band 'Foo Fighters' With each card representing a member of the band. But that was it, they were just promotional items. These jokers never ever at home in a deck.
Rider Backs
Foo Fighters Logo
Temu Backs
These emanated from Melbourne, Australia. Thought to have been produced around 1975 -80. Its not known how many of these were printed but as you can see there are quite a number of variations. They were printed on a yellow card (not playing card quality) whist/narrow size. They are not true jokers none of these have been orphaned from a deck. The ones seen here are not in great condition due to being stored in a dirty, damp garage for 30 years.
So they say. These were produced by an employee at Carta Mundi without the company being aware. They are Carta Mundi quality and deceptively look genuine. Two sets were made with identical jokers, one set in yellow the other in white, both having the same backs. There are thought to be 108 in total. They started to appear about 1980's. Many collectors have these, occasionally, you will see them for sale on Ebait. They are 100% novelty/fake/gaff cards and should be avoided at all cost.
