Cartier Grilmaud is set to make a grand return to the luxury playing card market, backed by 175 years of excellence in Parisian artisanal printing. Following two years of meticulous research and reinvention, Maison Grimaud will debut in the US market in early Fall 2024, following a highly anticipated unveiling in Paris in July 2024, with an exclusive partnership with the iconic Bon Marché Rive Gauche.
The Reinvented Grimaud Collection
From a two-year reinvention process, a new collection was born. Designed as exceptional objects of culture and design, the inaugural Grimaud collection showcases a range of playing cards, including Bridge, Patience, Belote, and Tarot, alongside divinatory arts such as the Tarot de Marseille and Oracle Belline. Complementing this line is a selection of high-end customizable accessories, celebrating craftsmanship and eco-design.
About Baptiste-Paul Grimaud, A Master “Cartier” on Rue de Lancry: A Story of France
In the 1840s, at the age of 23, founder Baptiste Paul Grimaud ran his own printing company and revolutionized the world of playing cards with innovations like total opacity, rounded corners, symmetrical portraits, and four indices corners. His creations, crafted with talented artists and skilled craftsmen, gained global acclaim. A year after its disappearance in 1899, the company continued to thrive under his family’s stewardship, earning the Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris Exposition for the quality of its illustration.
With a heritage of innovation, creative collaborations and a commitment to artisanal printing methods, Grimaud passionately celebrates the know-how of the past. Grimaud’s story began in Paris on rue de Bondy, later moving to a workshop on rue de Lancry in 1865, which housed the Grimaud factory for 90 years. Here, Baptiste-Paul Grimaud perfected his craft with engraver Félix Simon, who translated illustrators’ visions onto engraved wood blocks for card printing.
The Process of Reinvention
Over the two-year renovation project, the Grimaud team conducted extensive research, drawing from the National Library of France archives. “We engaged with collectors and worked closely with Christian Rouleau, a map enthusiast and biographer of Paul-Baptiste Grimaud, to gather all necessary inspirations for the brand’s renaissance,” says Guillaume Reslou. “It quickly became evident that we were dealing with a true cultural treasure.”
Bringing the Collection to Life
Grimaud aims to offer the most exquisite deck of cards, collaborating with top French craftsmen in printing, illustration, embossing, and packaging design. Produced without plastic, the cards are made in the former premises of the “Imprimerie Nationale Française” in the Paris region, with packaging from a specialist in the Bastille district. “The card game is above all a printing profession, a field in which Grimaud has distinguished itself through its innovation,” notes Sophie Thomas, co-pilot of the project and Director of Luxury and Industries at Cartamundi.
Grimaud embraces values that resonate with contemporary luxury consumers, emphasizing participatory well-being away from screens. This is reflected in the rising popularity of eco-responsible travel and sustainable wellness. Grimaud also highlights the renewed interest in parlor games and “crystal healing,” elevating these with unparalleled product quality.
Grimaud commissioned Parisian illustrator Julie Serre to update its iconic Parisian figures of its playing cards, translating the history of Paris with a timeless look and infusing her wit in each character’s personality, garments and accessories. For the Tarot de Marseille, French artist Margot Reverdy offers a captivating new version, highlighting her love for engraving and nods to historical Grimaud tarot decks. A booklet by Laetitia Barbier, a Brooklyn-based French fortune-telling specialist, guides users through the visual and spiritual traditions of reading the Tarot de Marseille and the Oracle Belline.
Inside the Decks
Designed for various card games, Grimaud’s cards are presented in custom boxes with the Universal Exhibitions medals and historic Grimaud seal. The cards are available in two versions: Coral Red or Dolphin Blue backs. Each card is printed on premium black casino paper. An original varnish provides improved ergonomics for durable cards, and a ten-color printing technique guarantees optimal vibrancy and tonal stability. All Grimaud cards feature gilded corners introduced by Baptiste Paul Grimaud, who not only popularized rounded corners but also introduced gilding to make our cards more resistant to shocks and folding.
While its colors are drawn from Grimaud’s ornate ‘Jeu Louis XV’ costume deck issued in 1895, the Face Cards respect the traditional features of biblical and Greek mythology as well as the French Royal characters from the ‘Portraits Parisiens’ deck of 1855 in detail and postures. Meanwhile, elegant and unique new motifs draw inspiration from old Grimaud symbols carved by Félix Simon hidden with the imagery of the four suites: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades.
The Contents of the Collection
Grimaud’s refined collection of decks of cards and tabletop accessories includes:
N°100 – Deck of 32 cards, designed for Belote
N°200 – Deck of 54 cards, designed for Bridge and Poker. Dolphin Blue card back
N°201 – Deck of 54 cards, designed for Bridge and Poker. Coral Red card back
N°300 – 2 decks of 54 cards, designed for bridge and poker. Dolphin Blue and Coral Red card back
N°600 – Deck of 54 cards, designed for Patience. Dolphin Blue card back
N°601 – Deck of 54 cards, designed for Patience. Dolphin Blue card back
N°700 – Deck of 78 cards, designed for Tarot à Jouer. Dolphin Blue card back.
N°400 – New edition of the Old Tarot de Marseille
N°500 – Belline Oracle.
Accessories include:
Apple leather card holder (in Dolphin Blue and Coral Red)
Apple leather playing mat
Playing cards coffee table tray
Tarot de Marseille coffee table tray
Belline Oracle coffee table tray
Grimaud Dolphin Bue journal
Tarot de Marseille Journal
Belline Oracle Journal
Grimaud Dice box
Prices for Grimaud cards range from $95 for Patience deck to $450 for the decorative Tarot de Marseille tray, accessories start at $40. Grimaud will launch in the US in early Fall, following its July 2024 debut in France at www.grimaudparis.com. The collection will be exclusively available at Bon Marché Rive Gauche in Paris starting in October 2024.
More Information
GrimaudParis.com
Instagram: @grimaudparis
Press Contact
Tania Cavallo
The Lifestyle Co., Founder