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Many of our customers may not be aware that the stock range we currently offer has been built up over more than 25 years. More importantly, much of that stock range is not offered by other dealers and much of it is irreplaceable. In other words we often carry the last stock available anywhere of particular items. This is increasingly the case with many of the standard regional packs, mainly as a result of numerous acquisitions and takeovers which have occurred in the industry in recent years. For example, whereas only a few years ago there were as many as five major independent producers in Germany, today there is only one, namely Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag GmbH. Carta Mundi of Belgium has acquired all the others (A.S.S, Berliner Spielkarten, F.X. Schmid & Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg). Inevitably, this has led to a radical rationalisation of what was previously a great diversity of patterns offered. Some patterns have disappeared entirely, e.g. Prussian, and others are in danger of going the same way, notably the Saxon pattern. The manufacturers are dictating what they want you, the customer, to buy and are not interested in offering a choice any more. Thus for the game of Skat, for instance, in future you will only be able to buy a North German (or Berliner) pattern pack if you play with French suits or a New Altenburg pattern pack if you play with German suits. For Tarock or Schafkopf both Bavarian and Franconian pattern packs are still on offer but perhaps the Franconian pattern will be the next to be eliminated. For Gaigel and Binokel there is just the Württemberg pattern. All in all, the diverse range we are currently able to offer can only diminish as time goes on. You have been warned! Standard Regional Pattern packs can be found in the catalogue section called "Regional", and beware if searching by country of publication as there are many publishers who produce packs for regions other than their own! | |