Just like the "Joker of the Month" in the Jokers section we will select a "Deck of the Month" from all the decks that we could add to our collection during that month. It will be what we consider our best find. We've started this section in April 2007 and without any doubt we can say here that over the years there will be antique, vintage and modern decks shown on these pages. Age, design and value of the chosen decks may be very different each time.

 

June 2025

I received the mourning card of his demise by the end of May and I followed the funeral  ceremony of his cremation in the life stream on June 4. I met Pim Leefsma for the first time in the summer of 2020, when I visited him in his atelier in the attic of his house, where we discussed the publication of a deck of cards with examples of his artwork.

I have known him as a friendly, open and cooperative person. As any true artist, he was still working and creating new objects, paintings or drawings on a daily basis. He had a special creative language to present a world of his own, unusual, just like its occupants.
This led to the deck, which was shown as Deck of the Month in November 2020.

We kept in touch through FB messages, so I knew of his physical condition before I saw him mid December 2024. I had brought him some more copies of our deck and he gave me 2 portraits from a series he was working on. He had lung cancer which had spread to his head. Inoperable tumors in his brain had caused loss of hearing in both ears and blindness in one eye, besides a general unsteadiness. But he wasn't ready to give up his loving family yet and seemed to be in good spirit, as he was still able to continue his creative work. He kept on decorating plates in his unique style at that time too.
In later contacts I had persuaded him to hand me his only copy of the Cato deck. He had cherished it for many years, but probably realized that now it would have a better home with me. I saw him again when I went to his home to pick up this deck. He was still in reasonably good spirit, but complained about the increasing loss of decorum. This was on March 25. I guess the latter had become such a burden for him that he decided to activate his euthanasia testimony and leave this world only two months later.


So this month, as a tribute to Pim (7-7-1947 - 25-5-2025)..... his first deck.

 

The deck was printed by Drukkerij Spanbroek from Borne and was supposed to be published by Wunderman Cato Johnson, an advertising agency in the Netherlands, in December 1996 as part of a New Year's gift, probably for personnel, relations and clients. However, a bankruptcy case seems to have prevented this and the card stock was most likely taken into this case. So, at least until the last report from ca. 2010, no complete deck had ever been found.
But during the Collectors Day in the Playing Card Museum in Turnhout a Dutch collector told me that he had had 2 of these decks up for sale that day. Have not yet been able to verify if he was talking about the same deck. So... to be continued!

And for now.... ENJOY.

 


 

Pim designed the indices and pips for this deck. And of course, as a Dutch tradition, the aces had to be scenic. Welcome to Pim's world!

 


 

Pim's deck had only one joker.

Back design

 

Outside and inside of the foldable message, cut on the exact card size. Folded, the joker is on front.

The future can be read
 in the cards.
In playing cards which
are as old as the world.
But also in chip cards, which
are about to conquer the world.

 Lets turn the new
 into something beautiful,
by not only thoughtfully,
but also playfully dealing with it.

Happy New Year!		 For

From all
 co-workers of
Wunderman
Cato Johnson



Pim has always maintained that this deck was originally supposed to be presented in a pouch and not in a box. Hence his effort to transform an ordinary box into a box for his deck.