Lewis Cohen (cardmaker)
Encyclopedia
Lewis I. Cohen was a major player in the playing card
business during the nineteenth century.
Lewis was born in Lancaster
, Pennsylvania
, but moved to London
, England
in 1814. Here he was apprenticed to his half-brother Solomon Cohen who had a business manufacturing pencils. In 1819 he returned to the USA on the barque Mary and Susan.
As he arrived in New York
he noticed a schooner from Florida
loaded with cedar logs. Noticing that this timber did not have any knots, he promptly bought the entire shipment for £30, paying a fraction per log of what his brother, Solomon, was paying per foot in London. He persuaded Captain Champlin of the Mary & Susan to transport the load back to London as ballast, meaning without cost.
Lewis I. Cohen then went on to make a name for himself as the first American to make lead pencils and for introducing steel pens to the USA, in place of old quills. However Cohen's greatest achievement was in the development of playing card manufacture through mechanized colour printing. Alongside George Baxter (1836) and Thomas de la Rue
(1831) he pioneered printing four colours in one pass, registering his colour-printing machine in 1835.
He formed his business, L. I. Cohen, New York, publishing his first deck of playing cards in 1832. He used an Eagle perched atop the spade symbol, enshrined by thirteen shining stars as insignia on the Ace of Spades
of each deck. In 1845 he retired, issuing a gold embossed deck of playing cards. His son, Solomon L. Cohen, and his nephew, John M. Lawrence took over the firm and in 1850 the stationery side of the business was sold. On December 5, 1871, Lawrence and Cohen turned the business into a stock company together with three new partners: Samuel Hart, Isaac Levy and John J. Levy. Together, they would form the New York Consolidated Card Company.
Playing card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
business during the nineteenth century.
Lewis was born in Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, but moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1814. Here he was apprenticed to his half-brother Solomon Cohen who had a business manufacturing pencils. In 1819 he returned to the USA on the barque Mary and Susan.
As he arrived in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
he noticed a schooner from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
loaded with cedar logs. Noticing that this timber did not have any knots, he promptly bought the entire shipment for £30, paying a fraction per log of what his brother, Solomon, was paying per foot in London. He persuaded Captain Champlin of the Mary & Susan to transport the load back to London as ballast, meaning without cost.
Lewis I. Cohen then went on to make a name for himself as the first American to make lead pencils and for introducing steel pens to the USA, in place of old quills. However Cohen's greatest achievement was in the development of playing card manufacture through mechanized colour printing. Alongside George Baxter (1836) and Thomas de la Rue
Thomas de la Rue
Thomas de la Rue was a printer from Guernsey who, from modest beginnings, founded De La Rue plc, a printing company which is now the world's largest commercial security printer and papermaker.-Biography:...
(1831) he pioneered printing four colours in one pass, registering his colour-printing machine in 1835.
He formed his business, L. I. Cohen, New York, publishing his first deck of playing cards in 1832. He used an Eagle perched atop the spade symbol, enshrined by thirteen shining stars as insignia on the Ace of Spades
Ace of Spades
At least in English-speaking countries, the ace of spades is traditionally seen as the highest card in the deck of playing cards, although the actual value of the card varies from game to game...
of each deck. In 1845 he retired, issuing a gold embossed deck of playing cards. His son, Solomon L. Cohen, and his nephew, John M. Lawrence took over the firm and in 1850 the stationery side of the business was sold. On December 5, 1871, Lawrence and Cohen turned the business into a stock company together with three new partners: Samuel Hart, Isaac Levy and John J. Levy. Together, they would form the New York Consolidated Card Company.