Playing Card Deck

One of two sets of playing cards, used to play Luk Fu 六虎 ( Six Tigers). Called lat chi / lut chi (甩紙) or lieh ch'ih (廢紙) by Stewart Culin and W.H. Wilkinson who collected them. There are 38 different cards. All cards are inscribed with their value in large stylized characters at the top. Of these there are 35 cards in four suits: 2 to 9 of shi 拾 (tens [of strings of 1000 cash]), 1-9 of guan 貫 (strings of 1000 cash), 1-9 of suo 索 (strings of 100 cash), and 1-9 of qian 錢 (cash). The 1 of cash has the name yun qian 雲綫 (cloud money or Yunnan coin). In addition there are three extra cards with the names lu hua 鹿花, bai zi 百子 (hundred sons), and mao gong 毛公 (prince of Mao). There are red underprints on the 8 of shi, the four of 9's, bai zi and Mao gong. These read: 龍邑廖家宝丰,幹記加長大張. The backs are black.

From Culin publication: "No. 22. - From Swatow. Ace to 9 of stringss and rouleaux, 2 to 9 of cash and lakhs, and Wan ts'in (=Ace of cash); Luk Fa, "Stag Flower;" Mo Kung, "Prince of Mo," and Pak Tsz', "Hundred Sons." The red impress consists of twelve characters, reading Lung yap Liu ka po fung, Kon ki ka cheung tai cheung, "Town of Lung (Dragon), Liu family, Po Fung (precious abundance). Sign of Kon, extra long, large cards." It is struck on Hundred Sons, Prince of Mo, Ace of Cash, the four 9's and the 8 of lakhs. Total, 38."