#1057 PIATNIK - MOTORPOWER GIFT BOX (Around 2000)

I always try to put a limit to my collections, and in the case of card decks it is the presence of a barcode in the box. If it has a barcode, I consider it is "too new" to be collected. However, I keep making exceptions when I find cards that I like, especially if they are car/racing/Formula 1-themed.

I bought this box in a flea market in 2015. It was made by Piatnik in the early 2000s (I could date the set paying attention to the car models and especially to the formula one teams and sponsors). It contains three technical quartet decks, the same that were also available loose, but the box adds some value to the set. It was probably intended as a gift-pack or something similar. At this time, the individual sets were sold for very few euros, so I also assume that this box was also quite affordable back then. The deck included are:

Let´s check the cards one deck after the other.

Cars (Nr. 422829)

Formel 1 (Nr. 422928)

Motor Show (Nr. 423826)

Interestingly, none of the cars that appear in the outer box is also represented in a card of any of the three decks.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: MOTORPOWER GIFT BOX includes (CARS No. 422829, FORMEL 1 No. 422928 and MOTOR SHOW No. 423826)
• Year: Around 2000
• Company: Piatnik (Austria)

#957 PIATNIK – AUTOS, EXOTISCHE TIERE & TIERBABIES (HYPO BANK PROMOTIONAL) (Around 1993)

 

Here a set of promotional card sets given by an Austrian Bank in the mid 80s. Bank giveaways are very common, they were made by millions and given to children in the International Savings Day (31st October) or some other occasion. However what is interesting for me is that the banks gave card sets on old coins, an adult hobby, although back in the days, some children were also brought into collecting coins by their parents. Today it is a rare hobby among young people.

Apart from that rare coin set, the most popular references were usually chosen by the banks: animals, cars... sometimes they chose a country-specific set, like animals from the Alps. Not a big variety in these.

The three sets shown in this entry have the same back design and the same boxes, but the title card from “Autos” has a different desing than the other two. Maybe this deck was older and Piatnik made a better offer for it, maybe they just got rid of some title cards on stock for this order, we will never know.

The year of the promotion is calculated after the cars in the Autos deck, I think the deck must be from 1991, maybe 1992, I think the newest cars depicted were released in 1990.

AUTOS + 2 Mini Puzzles

EXOTISCHE TIERE (This set was also presente in its "TIGER" version, see #337) + Zaubertrick

TIERBABIES:

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: AUTOS, EXOTISCHE TIERE & TIERBABIES (HYPO BANK PROMOTIONAL)
• Year: Around 1991
• Company: Piatnik (Austria)

#926 PIATNIK – BLUMEN (Nr. 278) (Around 1973)

Unfortunately, all quartett and children decks that do not show cars or very specific licenses or themes are not very interesting for collectors these days.

Flowers and plants (or botanical) decks are maybe among the least-liked ones, and that´s is a pity.

I already showed a Flowers deck by Piatnik a very very long time ago. That first version showed drawings, while this newer version has already colour photographs. I personally like the one with the drawings better, but this pictures and card style is also quite charming, it exemplifies the design in the years in which it was made and sold. The pictures do not have a great resolution (or maybe it was the printing press that did not have the quality standards we are now familiar with, and the soap-box (pink plastic) today looks ugly. I guess at the time it was different.

Comparing the older version of the deck with the new one, I have to say, that a few flowers are different, although many are the same and also ordered in very similar families. The reference number is the same.

 The first deck is from 1955, this one could be made around 1973. It still has the same reference number than the original one.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Name: BLUMEN QUARTETT (Nr. 278)
• Alternative Names: „FLOWERS QUARTET "
• Year: Around 1973
• Company: Piatnik Wien (Austria)

#871 PIATNIK - AUTO-QUARTETT (Nr. 298) (1963)

What an amazing deck of cards I got! This is now one of the oldest car quartetts I own.

The game has 9 families, some of them are car types (oldtimers, trucks and racing) while other are countries (Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, U.S.A. and a mixture of other countries).

Each car or vehicle is drawn, not photographed, over a (one or two) solid color(s) background. The result is amazing, a real design from the 50s and early 60s.

These set came in a plastic box and is a reedition. Aparently there are earlier versions from 1958 and 1961, I guess the earliest, if not both, came in the cardboard box. Note that in the “Racers” family, there are two models that indicate 1963.
According to Quartett-Blog, there are nine different set for this reference number:

• 1959-1962: Auto-Quartett, with red Citroen ID 19 (4 different sets)
• 1963-1967: Auto-Quartett, with yellow Citroen ID 19 (5 different sets)

Some (very few) cards seem to be different from one set to the other, but unfortunately, I have only this one, so I cannot compare.

The back of the cards show a tyre.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: AUTO QUARTETT (Ref. 298)
• Year: 1963
• Company: Piatnik (Austria)