by Kristin Patterson

 

In 1862, the United States of America was in the midst of an immense civil war. The national debt was increasing at a phenomenal rate. The U.S. Government passed the Internal Revenue Act, which inflicted a manufacturers’ tax on playing cards and necessitated the use of revenue stamps. These revenue stamps themselves provide an interesting storyline, but a broad story unfolds when we examine also the playing cards and boxes that still exist today along with the history of the manufacturer and the period during which it operated. This non-fiction book is an attempt to tell this broad story.