Playing Cards: Braniff International Airways, Alexander Girard Sealed in Box, Brown & Bigelow, Vintage 1970s

Bold color blocks, a monogram that became an airline's logo, and a seal no one has broken. This Braniff International Airways Bridge deck is still just as it left the factory.  Wonderful airline memorabilia.

• Maker: Brown & Bigelow
• Brand: Braniff International Airways 
• Materials: Cardboard box, cards with Redi-Slip finish
• Contents: Factory-sealed deck, NOS
• Dimensions: Box 3.5 inches Tall, 2.375 inches Wide
• Origin: USA
• Era: Vintage 1973
• Condition: NOS. Excellent Vintage Condition. Box remains 100% factory-sealed in its original clear cellophane wrapper. NOS.  Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.

One side of the box carries Braniff's "BI" monogram, the retro geometric branding Alexander Girard drew that became the airline's new logo.  Green, white, and black, born out of Braniff’s legendary 1965 "End of the Plain Plane" modernization campaign. The other side turns to gold, red, and black, with all four suit symbols. The box also reads "Remembrance Playing Cards, Germ Proofed by Corobex, Bridge," with "Redi-Slip finish" on the reverse.  This is the bi-lingual deck, Girard's Braniff decks are known for pairing each card's illustration with an English phrase and its Spanish and Portuguese translations, turning an in-flight card game into a pocket language lesson. This deck remains sealed, so the cards inside have not been examined. Reproductions have appeared in recent years, but this is an original vintage deck.

A standout for collectors of airline memorabilia, mid-century graphic design, and Alexander Girard, and a fine gift for anyone who remembers the jet-set era of flying.

Braniff International Airways was a Texas-based airline that flew to Central and South America as well as across the U.S. In 1965 it hired designer Alexander Girard to remake its entire image, and his bright colors and folk-art spirit reached everything from the aircraft to the ticket counters and lounges, part of Braniff's famous "End of the Plain Plane" makeover. Giveaway items such as playing cards carried that look into passengers' hands. This deck was made by Brown & Bigelow of St. Paul, Minnesota, a leading American playing card maker from the late 1920s into the 1980s, whose brands included Hoyle and Remembrance. Braniff ceased operations in 1982, which is part of why these decks are collected today.

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