‘Bee’ Standard Red Playing Cards Fashion

Known for their diamond backs, Bee® playing cards are made with premium materials. Considered more durable than the average paper cards, these casino playing cards maintain their shape for increased play and use. 

When most magicians think of “Bee” brand playing cards, they think of the all-over back design shown here. It was originally produced in 1892 (hence the “No. 92” on the top flap of most boxes). Although it is one of the oldest designs and it is the only one that’s been in production since its creation, it wasn’t the only Bee card. There are over two-dozen back designs that were produced under the Bee name by the New York Consolidated Card Company in the late 1800s. Many of these older Bee designs had white borders and beautiful scrollwork depicting beehives and other bee related images.

Sometime in the 1960s these cards became the standard playing card in the casino industry – a position they still hold to this day. The stock and finish is excellent and it has recently become popular to request “Bee stock” when printing non-Bee cards for the magician market. These are the favored cards of gambling experts Richard Turner and Steve Forte.