PlayingCardHub just added a Copyright Year field to its deck records, so you can now log the © year on a deck separately from its Release Year. That's why we're explaining how the two years differ.
The short answer is no. On a deck of playing cards, the copyright year printed on the tuck box, ace or joker is usually the year of the design or artwork notice, not necessarily the year that edition was released or the year your copy was printed. Release year is when that edition became available, and printer date codes, especially the codes on USPCC Aces of Spades, are usually a better clue to when a particular deck was made.
PlayingCardHub keeps Release Year and Copyright Year as two separate fields, so you can record both without cramming a year into the deck's title, and when a deck has a Copyright Year, it shows after the name, like this: Deck Name (Copyright Year).
Three different years, three different questions
Collectors often say "the year" of a deck as if there's only one. There are really three, and each answers a different question.
Copyright year: when was the design protected? This is the year next to the © symbol. It belongs to the artwork, the back design, the court illustrations or the brand. A licensed deck can carry someone else's copyright line entirely — for example, a film-licensed Bicycle deck may note copyright for the studio that owns the imagery, not the printer.
Release year: when did this edition come out? This is the year the edition or product line became available. It's what PlayingCardHub has always stored as Release Year, and it's what our year hubs are built on.
Print year: when was your copy made? This is about the physical deck in your hand. A design can stay in production for years, so two copies of the same edition can come off the press at different times. For USPCC decks, the main clue is the date code on the Ace of Spades, with tax stamps, seals and box styles helping on older decks.
These three years can line up, but they often don't, and the gaps are where collectors get confused.
Where to find the copyright notice
Check these spots, roughly in this order:
- The tuck box. The bottom panel and side panels are the usual place for legal text. Lee Asher notes that most modern decks made at USPCC's Erlanger plant carry their copyright dates on the bottom of the box (Lee Asher).
- The Ace of Spades. Some decks print the notice here.
- The jokers.
- An ad card or extra card, if the deck has one.
Finding a © year tells you something about the design. It doesn't tell you when the deck was released, and it says even less about when your copy was printed.
Why the years drift apart
Reprints
When a popular deck comes back, the design usually comes back with it, so a reprint can look almost exactly like the original. To tell them apart, look past the artwork at the packaging details.
The OG Federal 52 is a good example. Kings Wild's reprint can be told from the original by the text on the bottom of the tuck and the plate number on the front of the case, and the original came with a green seal (Kardify). The first print run was in 2013; the reprint landed years later.
The 2018 ARRCO limited reprint works the same way. The faces and backs kept the classic design, but the tuck was adjusted to fit current USPCC templates and legal requirements, and the bottom carries PlayingCardDecks.com branding (Kickstarter campaign). ARRCO itself goes back decades, so a 2018 release year is about that reprint edition, not the brand's origins. Browse more releases by year in our year hubs.
Don't assume every reprint keeps the original © year, though. Some do and some don't. Read the notice on your own copy and record what's printed there.
Crowdfunded decks
Kickstarter decks are designed, funded, printed and shipped in that order, and the steps can stretch across a calendar year. When Kardify looked at the 30 most-funded playing card projects of 2012, 57% missed their target delivery date, and the median delay was about six months (Kardify). That doesn't mean every campaign runs late. It does mean a deck whose artwork was finished one year can easily reach backers the next, so the © year and the release year won't always match.
Long-running designs and old artwork
Some designs were around long before they reached a card back. Congress pictorial backs are a clear case: artwork can predate the deck's release by years, so a © or artwork date on a deck like that wouldn't tell you when it was released.
When the print date and release year sit side by side
Sometimes a deck's print date falls just before its listed release year. An early-20th-century Congress deck, for example, might carry a date code from December of one year and a Release Year of the next. That's a small gap, but it shows why a print date belongs in its own field rather than in Release Year.
Using USPCC ace codes to date your copy
For decks made by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC), a dating code was printed on the Ace of Spades, or sometimes the joker, when the deck was made. The system came into use in the 1890s. In its classic form, it's a letter followed by four digits (Lee Asher; bicyclecards.org).
The letter is the useful part. Each letter maps to several possible years, roughly 20 years apart, so the letter alone gives you a list of candidates, not an answer. The letters I, O and V aren't used because they're easily confused with numbers.
To narrow it down, use what else you know about the deck. Lee Asher's worked example is a Jerry's Nugget ace coded M 4924. M points to 1909, 1930, 1950, 1970, 1990 or 2010. The casino opened in 1964, which rules out the first three. The tuck has a perforated USPCC label of a kind used roughly from 1965 to 1975, which rules out 1990 and 2010. That leaves 1970. bicyclecards.org recommends the same approach: for Bicycle decks, check the back design's start and end dates, then look at the tax stamp (if there is one), the ace design and the box style.
The same method applies to mid-century Congress decks whose aces carry a letter code such as Y: combine the letter with the ace design and other clues to pin down the printing year, then compare nearby releases in that year's year hub.
Modern USPCC codes
Newer USPCC decks use a production code where the first four digits are the week and year of manufacture. In the code 1613-S6560, "16" is the week and "13" is the year, so that deck was made in the 16th week of 2013. The old letter system appears to have carried over too: S is the letter for 2013 (bicyclecards.org). This is the clearest case of the copyright year and the print date living in different places. The © date sits on the bottom of the box, while the ace code tells you when that copy was made (Lee Asher).
Where ace codes don't help
Ace codes aren't universal, even at USPCC:
- Many custom decks that USPCC prints for magic and cardistry companies don't follow the letter code or don't print a number on the Ace of Spades at all.
- Around 1965, USPCC began "pre-facing" some decks, especially Congress decks, by printing faces in advance and adding backs later. Congress and other pre-faced brands stopped using the codes.
- Lee Asher points out that USPCC can change its codes without notice and that the chart isn't perfect.
Other printers may mark print runs differently, or not at all. For decks from other printers, check the tuck and the ace for printer marks, but don't count on a code you can decode.
We're also working on a full guide to reading USPCC date codes and identifying first editions, coming in December.
How to record both years on PlayingCardHub
When you add a deck or submit an edit, here's how to fill in each year:
- Release Year: the year this edition became available.
- Copyright Year: the year printed next to the © on the deck itself. It sits right after Release Year on the deck forms. If the deck doesn't show a © year, leave it blank.
- Print details: for historical decks, use the Date Code and Ace Coding fields for what's printed on your copy, and mention tax stamps or seals in the description.
Keeping the years apart pays off later. When you compare your deck against listings, you can tell a reprint that keeps an old © year from an original. And the title shows the copyright year in a consistent format, instead of in the title on some decks and only the description on others.
If a deck you own is missing its Copyright Year, add it. Every correction makes the record more useful for the next collector checking their tuck. While you're handling older decks, our guides on playing card grading and how to store playing cards will help you keep them in the condition they're in, and the finishes and stocks guide covers the other details that separate one printing from another.
Track both years in your collection
Add your decks to a free PlayingCardHub collection and log the Release Year and Copyright Year for each one. It's the easiest way to keep reprints, originals and later printings straight, without relying on memory or a title that crams every year in.
FAQ
Q: Are copyright year and release year the same on playing cards? A: No. The copyright year is the © notice for the design or artwork. The release year is when that edition became available. They can match, but reprints and long-running designs often show an older © year.
Q: Where is the copyright year on a deck of cards? A: Usually on the tuck box, on the bottom or side panels. Sometimes it's on the Ace of Spades, a joker or an ad card.
Q: What is a USPCC date code? A: A manufacturing code printed on the Ace of Spades, or sometimes the joker, of many USPCC decks. The letter points to several possible years, which you narrow down with the back design, box style and tax stamp. Newer decks often show the week and year of manufacture as the four digits before the letter.
Q: Do reprints keep the original copyright year? A: Often the design's © year stays with the artwork, but not always. To tell a reprint from an original, check the bottom-of-tuck text, plate numbers, seals and publisher marks, and record the © year printed on your own copy.
Q: How should I record years on PlayingCardHub? A: Put the year the edition became available in Release Year and the © notice year in Copyright Year. For historical decks, use the Date Code and Ace Coding fields for print details.
Q: Why does my Kickstarter deck show an earlier copyright year than when it arrived? A: The © year often reflects when the artwork was created, and printing and shipping can land in a later year. Kardify's look at the top 2012 playing card campaigns found a median delivery delay of about six months.
Sources
- Lee Asher, How To Date A Deck of Playing Cards (USPCC)
- bicyclecards.org, USPCC Dating Code, including "Current Production Codes for USPCC"
- Kardify, Why Top 2012 Kickstarter Playing Cards Projects Shipped Late
- Kardify, The OG Federal 52 Reprint and Founders Collection
- PlayingCardDecks.com, ARRCO U.S. Regulation Playing Cards, 2018 Limited Reprint (Kickstarter)
