Hydraulic-Press Brick Co. playing card set

Object/Artifact

National Building Arts Center

Spine of HPBC playing card faux-book case

Two small "books" that form a dual compartment case, with red leather covers and gold lettering

Name/Title

Hydraulic-Press Brick Co. playing card set

Description

Two sets of playing cards, housed in two connected faux-books, and marked with the Hydraulic-Press Brick Co.

Use

Promotional object, used most likely to commemorate an event at HPB or to show appreciation to employees of the company.

Collection

Promotional object displays

Made/Created

Time Period

20th Century

Notes

The item is attributed to St. Louis, which may or may not be where the item was manufactured. Haydite did not exist commercially with the HPB until 1920, so this object can be dated to after that period.

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Tertiary Object Term

Card, Playing

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Game, Card

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Game

Nomenclature Class

Game Equipment

Nomenclature Category

Category 09: Recreational Objects

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Measurements taken from the red holder

Height

3.7 cm

Width

6.5 cm

Length

9.4 cm

Parts

Count

Parts

Two decks of cards, one red faux double-book holder, one beige and brown marled slipcase

Accessories

Accessory

Slipcase

Notes

Slipcase not pictured, but is a brown and white marled open-sided box (3.7 x 6.6 x 9.9 cm)

Material

Paper, Leather

Color

Tan, Red

Condition

Overall Condition

Very Good

Condition Type

Tacky Surface

Date Examined

Jul 18, 2026

Examined By

Elena Marshall

Parts

No missing parts to be seen, but the two decks of cards have bonded into solid stacks; one deck cannot be removed from the red faux-book case without great force, and is still adhered to the case. The other deck can be removed from the case, with a few cards loose from the deck, but much of the second deck has bonded together.

Research Notes

Research Type

Researcher

Person

Elena Marshall

Date

Jul 17, 2026

Web Links and URLs

Article about Stephen Hayde and the origins of Haydite

Notes

(See Made/Created)

Create Date

July 17, 2026

Update Date

July 18, 2026