The specification "new" remarks that this is a rather recent design: it was issued in 1964, and its popularity was also helped by the fact that in the same years S.A. discontinued the production of other German-suited local patterns (namely
Preussisches Bild and
Sächsisches Bild).
The Neues Altenburger Bild has a somewhat aggressive look, with bright colours and sharp outlined details. Its personages were drawn so to comply with East Germany's Socialist political consciousness: the unter knaves, allegories of the working class, were given a strong build, with an intelligent and sincere look, while the higher ranks (ober knaves and kings) were depicted with arrogant, idle, treacherous expressions on their faces.
When it was first issued (see picture on the right) it did not meet the public's favour, and was soon modified. The second version (shown previously) had better luck, and became the standard one, still used today. |
Neues Altenburg Bild: the first version (1964) was soon
discontinued because the public disliked it |
the discontinued variant with queens
(courtesy of André Müller) |
Also a further early attempt of improving this pattern by replacing the four ober knaves with queens, and the traditional indices with the ones found in the Berliner Bild (i.e. B for Bube, D for Dame and K for König), was not successful, and was soon discontinued.
The three aforesaid variants of the Neues Altenburger Bild are indicated as I, II (the standard one) and III, respectively.
Since the early 1960s, the New Altenburg cards have been printed exclusively by Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg, the manufacturer that also held the copyright for this pattern. Only in very recent years editions by other manufacturers have appeared on the market, but in most of them the design has remained basically unchanged.
Curiously, this is probably one of the very few regional patterns whose actual author is known, Walter Krauss, and whose name can be read (in tiny letters) on the daus of Hearts. |
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THE KONGRESS KARTE
Kongress pattern, by Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg |
Despite having been almost imposed, rather than having developed as the result of a centuries-old selection (as almost every other regional pattern did), in less than fifty years the New Altenburg design undoubtly acquired a good popularity in north-eastern Germany. But a large majority of Skat players still seem to prefer its older French-suited equivalent, the Berlin pattern (described in page 1).
Not to disappoint either of the two parties, some manufacturers print a peculiar two-way pattern called Kongress Karte, with German suits on one side and French suits on the other; the latter is typically a Berlin pattern, while the former is more often a New Altenburg pattern, but in some editions the Saxon pattern is used. |
Two Kongress specimens are shown in this page; the first one features a Saxon pattern versus a standard Berlin pattern (except the yellow background), while the second one has a New Altenburg facing the special French-suited variety known as Turnier Bild, i.e. a Berlin design with suits in four different colours, also mentioned in the Shapes and Colours page. |
Kongress pattern by ASS, with French suits in four colours |
THE SALON KARTE
32-card edition Salon Karte by Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg
still in classic luxury version (c.1965) |
Another traditional pattern, which was born as a luxury design, is the one called Salon Karte, a name which was meant to suggest the lavish halls where the high society used to meet and play cards. It was originally drawn as a French-suited pattern, in either 32-card or 52-card + joker editions, with rather flamboyant yet elegant illustrations. Its first maker was the famous Büttner, in the late 1800s. During the following century its design was maintained by both Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg and ASS, up to the mid 1960s.
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Then, shortly after the New Altenburg pattern had been introduced, S.A. decided to redesign also the
Salon courts, following the same political guidelines that had inspired Walter Krauss.
