The Melbourne Playing Card Collectors Incorporated (MPCC) is the first official Card Collecting Club established in Australia and is a not for profit organisation.
In 1971 five Melbourne ladies who collected cards decided to get together in each others homes to share, swap, buy and sell playing cards. In October of that year they approached the Chicago Playing Card Collectors Inc. (CPCC) and became a chapter of that club. In the mid 70’s MPCC was granted autonomy and had an identity in its own right. Known as the Melbourne Playing Card Collectors Incorporated – Incorporation number A 0019629 P
The Club has continued to grow and prosper and now has members in not only Australia, but the USA, Italy and through our Facebook page friends in a number of other countries worldwide. Our Membership includes both men and women.
Our Members bring to the Club a vast knowledge of the history of playing/blank back cards. They don’t play cards such as Poker or Bridge; but collect single cards, groups of cards, series of cards and in some cases decks. The cards being collected are for their history, beauty, picture or art-work design on the back of the card (non pip side). Some members do collect for the face of the card (pip side) and have really beautiful collections of Jokers, Spade Aces and often the Court cards (King, Queen or Jack). Designs, therefore collections are continually evolving.
We meet each month on Saturdays to share our love of card collecting. At each meeting there are club cards for sale, merchandise to assist with organising your collection, catalogues/lists to view and sellers with a huge variety of categories to buy from. Many people have been collecting for more than 40+ years so if you have a question, there will be an expert available to assist!!
The MPCC is manned totally by Volunteers and has affiliations with other card collecting/playing clubs worldwide.
Our objectives are:
- Promote the collection of playing/blank back cards and associated articles as a hobby.
- Promote social contact between members for the greater enjoyment of their hobby
- Engage in other activities designed to maintain interest in the history and hobby of collecting playing/blank back cards.
MPCC:
- Will admit as a Member any person, over 12 years of age, interested in collecting playing/blank back cards and who agrees to abide by the Club Constitution and rules
- Is very happy to welcome visitors on a regular basis
- Assists collectors to classify and display their own cards
- Enables members to display unusual/rare playing/blank back cards from their collection for the benefit of other members
- Issues an informative Quarterly newsletter – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter
- Conducts a monthly meeting on Saturdays – Noon to 4pm
- Arranges for special displays at each meeting and occasionally brief talks related to the displays.
- Communicates with its members via emails and Facebook
- Maintains and interactive Web site
- Provides its members with access to a Library containing books/catalogues about playing cards, their origins, history, design, manufacture and maintenance
- Has available for sale display albums, archival safe display sheets, inserts etc. specifically for the preservation and display of an individual’s cards
- Is very happy to assist the general public, who may not be members, find cards that will help them toward completing their collection
- Welcomes dialogue with anyone interested in cards and their origins
NB ** If you know of an interested Collector who may not have heard of the MPCC could you please pass on our details or advise us and we can then be in contact with them.
Some additional facts:
- The MPCC purchases new cards which will then be available for sale to interested persons
- Is interested in valuing and perchance being able to purchase Collections of single cards, decks or assortments
- We gratefully accept donations of cards that can then be distributed among the members.