Michael J. Hurst presented in 2010 the article of Sir Edward Augustus Bond, also E.A. Bond, in the The Athenaeum, Part 2, No. 2621, Jan. 19, 1878. The article is about the text of Johannes of Rheinfelden (1377) and stayed for a long time more or less the best, what was known about this work. It's nice to have it online. It's at the bottom of the page.

http://pre-gebelin.blogspot.de/2009/01/ ... death.html

An article written on the base of an essay of Arne Jönssen 1998 ...
http://trionfi.com/0/p/10/
... was given by Trionfi.com earlier (maybe 2003/2004
Then there was hope, that a full translation would follow, but we heard nothing about in the past years.

Arnold Jönssen's article in English 2004 (only with an abstract)
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bits ... sequence=1

The article appeared first in 1998 in German language
Schweizer Spielkarten 1: die Anfänge im 15. und 16. Jahrhundert
http://books.google.de/books?id=65UkAQA ... edir_esc=y
... only Snippet view

So the Johannes of Rheinfelden text of 1377 is still a big "blind spot" in our researches.

Happy Eastern ...

Franco Pratesi's researches have brought up in March/early April 2012 a further note about 12 Trionfi decks in a sale of the Florentine silk dealers - in the year 1452 (not included in the earlier report about the silk-dealers, which already had Trionfi card records in 1445, 1450, 1451 and 1454):
http://trionfi.com/es16 = earlier Silk Dealer article
http://trionfi.com/es20 = new addition to Silk dealer article

Inside the article appears a new Trionfi card producer Antonio di Dino, already known as usual card producer in the earlier silk dealer article.
The produced number of decks (12) is the "highest number for the moment" in Trionfi documents till the 1464 note with "309 Paro" in the Roman custom registers.
Also appears the expression "Naibi di Trionfi" ... which appears similar in the current earliest Trionfi document of 1440 (recent Depaulis finding) ...
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=773
... which used "un paio di naibi a trionfi"

Another article of Franco referred to the appearance of the word "Le Corone" in the article about the Puri merchant family ...
http://trionfi.com/es12 = older article to Puri the family in 1447-49
... and in the new article ...
http://trionfi.com/es17 = "Le Corone" article
... is pointed to another use of the word "Le Corone" in the statutes of the city Massa , which (possibly) indicates, that Franco's earlier interpretation (= gilded crowns on playing cards) might be wrong, and that Le Corone might indicate a special game or special cards (perhaps another word for Imperatori cards).

http://trionfi.com/es41
.. is a report to the oldest findings in Franco Pratesi's newest researches, some references to a playing card trade in 1429/30 in the city Prato, in which playing cards purchased in Florence were sold by a notary, who also owned a grocery shop.

http://trionfi.com/es19
... refers to the recent finding of the earliest Germini notes in 1517/19
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=780&p=11377#p11377

http://trionfi.com/es18
1791 – PRODUCTION AND SALE OF PLAYING CARDS IN TUSCANY
... refers to playing card production in 1791 in Tuscany. A comparison between an earlier article
FLORENTINE CARD PRODUCTION IN ABOUT 1840 ...
http://trionfi.com/playing-cards-florence-1840
.. has the somehow surprising result, that about 1790 Minchiate decks might have had a market of 10 %, but in c. 1840 only of 1 %, so a relative dramatic fall of the interest in the use of Minchiate. The numbers have to been taken "with care", as the known research situation doesn't allow "sure statements".

A further rather revolutionary article of Franco Pratesi.

http://trionfi.com/es42
NAIBI TRADED AT LAPINI STORE, FROM 1415 ON

From the accompanying comment:

Playing Card History is made from documents, and documents relevant for the research are rare before the year 1440. Documents, which reach the year 1415 and are reliable, as it is presented in this article, appear very seldom.
From the city of Nurenberg, perhaps the most productive city for playing cards in 15th century, we have in 1414 with an anonymous card painter ("der kartenmoler") the first producer in the city, the next follows with Michel Wyener in 1422. Schreiber (1938) ,,,
http://trionfi.com/0/p/20/
... collected 38 cards producer for 15th century in the city. This number is since the recent researches of Franco Pratesi not far for the city of Florence.

The mentioned Piero di Antonio and Antonio di Franceso (both active since 1415) should be the 3rd and 4th known playing card producers in Italy, following Giovanni de Zambrinis in Mantova (1387; he copperates with a master illuminator Andrea and a master painter Leone di Guido da Bologna) ...
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=762
... and a Federico de Germania in Bologna (1395).
http://www.wopc.co.uk/history/earlyrefs.html

Merchant Lapino Lapini (active 1415-1442) should be the first trader of playing cards in Italy, connected to various other traders, which purchase their cards from him).

As a minor other occurrence in the article we get 4 further new Trionfi card documents for the year 1453 from a later period (this we would have perceived as a major sensation just a few months ago) and in this context the artist Antonio di Dino appears as Trionfi card producer (he appeared as this already in "1452 – A dozen of Naibi di Trionfi")
http://trionfi.com/naibi-trionfi-dozen

"Dä Prinz kütt" is a "kölsche" (= from Cologne) superlative of "Dä Zoch kütt" and, and the Zoch is the triumphal Trionfi march of Prinz Karneval at Rosenmontag (= Carnival's Monday). As long the Zoch hasn't arrived, it's correct to say "The Zoch kütt", cause one still has to wait. When the Zoch has arrived, then there's an escalation of individual shows, chariots and groups and chapels with music etc. Well, naturally the best comes at the end, when the Trio Bauer, Jungfrau and Prinz arrives.

Well, so this is just an announcement of something, and we don't know, if it's already the prince. Perhaps it's only the "Funken-Marieche", but that's already worth to be noted. But at least, it's so remarkable that I use this kölsche superlative to announce ...

A new article of Franco Pratesi

... which has arrived in the Trionfi redaction, and all what we see, it will overshadow most of that, what we already know about Trionfi cards.

Well, it's in work ... you've to wait.

Can you give us a hint?

I guess it's part of safeguarding intellectual property, but god, I hate secrets, and waiting...

There's a new article from Franco Pratesi:

1451 - NEW LAWS AGAINST GAMBLING IN SIENA

... :-) ... it looks only little important in relation to the recent storms of new info, but, if I count ...

1. - 1440 recently from Depaulis 2012
2. - Feb 1442 - Leonello
3. - Jul 1442 - deck of the boys
4. - 1445 - silk-dealer sale from Pratesi 2012
5. - 1449 - Marcello game in camp
6. - 1449 - Marcello - Michelino deck
7. - Dec 1449 - Giovanni di Domenico - 6 decks acquired by silk dealers from Pratesi 2012
8. - Mar 1450 - Leonello 3 decks
9. - April 1450 - Giovanni di Domenico - 3 decks acquired by silk dealers from Pratesi 2012
10. - Dec 1450 - Letter I of Francesco Sforza
11. - Dec 1450 - Letter I of Francesco Sforza
12. - Dec. 1450 - Trionfi allowance in Florence (older detection of Franco Pratesi)
13. - Jan 1451 - Antonio di Dino - 2 decks - acquired by silk dealers from Pratesi 2012
14. - ? 1451 - Trionfi allowance in Gambassa - Florentine territory(2011 detection of Franco Pratesi)
15. - 1451 - Trionfi allowance in Asinalunga - Sienese territory (2012 detection of Franco Pratesi)

From 15 "oldest Trionfi notes" 7 have arrived in the last half year. [... and 20% of the "oldest 15" relate to the article]

The object of the new article of Franco Pratesi is Nr. 15 ... Trionfi allowance in Asinalunga, which changed its name later to Sinalunga. The boring or the interesting part of it is, that it repeats the allowance of Florence (the same four games are allowed), something which already the location Gambassa did. Gambassa was on Florentine territory, Sinalunga at Sienese ... that's the curious difference.

http://trionfi.com/trionfi-siena

About Gambassa Franco Pratesi wrote in an IPCS article.

The discussion of Franco's latest discoveries and their implications has been placed in its own thread -
"Franco Pratesi's Florentine discoveries"
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=815

I don't know, what others had said about the begin of Cartomancy in Germany, I can only say, what I've found within a few hours with the help of books.google.com

************************************************************

1632 - a passage, which very likely refers NOT to Cartomancy, but playing cards appear close to a passage with divination. Both of it were declared to be from the devil in a preaching.

1700 - Seems to refer to find good mining places with the help of "cards" (it's not said: playing cards) ... this in competition to the technique of a "wiggle stick", also called "divining rod" (used to find water, metal etc.)

1736 - finding a thief with the help of cards (or with dice)

All three can't be judged really as Cartomancy.

**********************************************************

1763 - a real Cartomancy observation - observed with ironical mind and sarcastic words. The anonymous author thinks, that Cartomancy can't be very old. He knows its use by Dutch and German ladies - possibly he lived in my region near to the Dutch border or he was Dutch. The publisher (?) (Leipzig and Frankfurt)) speaks of translations (the work has about 10 short articles, perhaps of different authors). Card divination appears only as second topic (and has short treatment), first topic is reading from the rest of the coffee. After card reading other "old divination techniques" are presented, as reading from a light (candle ?), reading from burning coals and reading from the white of an egg (with the help of water). Reading from the white of an egg is considered the oldest and is called difficult. The article has 7 pages.

1766 - "Finding the thief" with cards or dice (again) is mentioned between other divination methods by a theological text. Short note about cards.

1768 A - Another Christian view with a relative short note about playing card divination.

1768 B. - Satire on the perfect maid, who should also be able to divine from cards and to read from old coffee.

1769 Abhandlung der Physiognomie, Metoposcopie und Chiromantie by Christian A. Peuschel, Lutheran priest, who in the Appendix also writes about minor methods of less quality, between them reading of playing cards.
In the long work (400 pages) card reading gets 7 pages.
A 36-cards-deck with German suits is used, but the sixes are sorted out, so "with 32 cards". The 10s were interpreted as women - the deck had only male courts.

1769/1785 - a "real" adventurous story about a farmer, who was cheated by a female card diviner and her husband.

1770 - a critique at the Peuschel book.

... and a lot of further literature with the appearance of card diviners. For the 1780s and 1790s I stopped to collect. There was too much.
Here with links:

http://trionfi.eu/village/viewtopic.php ... 3069#p3069

NEW: earliest "Tarock" in a German printed book (1750/51)

the earlier first note referred to 1752

1750/1751: Own finding:
Anakreontische Versuche, Volume 1
Johann Franz von Palthen
printed by Weitbrecht

Johann Franz von Palthen (1724 - 1804) - worldcat has a lot of publications, but I don't found a good biography.
http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3AJ ... ort_yr_asc
Worldcat offers the text partly as of 1750 ...
http://www.worldcat.org/title/anakreont ... ef_results
.... books.google.com has it from 1751 with "zweyte and verbesserte Auflage", which likely means, that worldcat might be right. The publication location is Stralsund, the author also published in Rostock. He is mentioned in a short biography of his father: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_Palthen ... "Ihr Sohn Johann Franz (1725–1804) wurde Advokatfiskal am Wismarer Tribunal."
The text:
http://books.google.de/books?id=xAdOAAA ... ck&f=false

COMPARE:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=819&p=11679&hilit=austria#p11679