Fortuna / Hächler Söhne AG
The manufacturer "Hächler und Söhne" was the biggest competitor of Müller in Switzerland. For my research, I had only twelve decks on hand. They were divided according type:
Type A - 1 deck
Type B - 1 deck
Type C - 1 deck
Type Da - 2 decks
Type Db - 3 decks
Type E - 4 decks
It is likely that there are more than these types existing.
Type A:
More or less at the same time that Müller brought out its first double-faced Jass, Hächler did the same. The cards are very close to the Müller pictures and only differ in details. The dividing bars of the court cards are black (like the first by Müller). On the ace of bell, you can read "HASO" and on the ace of shield, there is some ornamentation, where later manufacturer information will follow. The acorns have a rough design. The pips have two indices. These cards most likely are from the 1920s.
Size: 88 x 55 mm
Type B:
Even though you have some major changes that can be seen at one glace ("Schweizer Jasskarten" on the ace of bell, "Fortuna" on the ace of shield, a different shade of green for the acorns, white dividing bars on the court cards and now four indices on the pips) the faces of the court cards remain unchanged.
Size: 89 x 57 mm
Type C:
Most noticeable is the black writing with changed font. On the ace of bell, the font has changed to a serif.
Size: 88 x 56 mm
Type Da:
The writing again had changed to blue. More interesting are the changes in the faces of the court cards and their ornamentation. The shape of the acorn base has changed and it is now finer as well.
Size: 88 x 56 mm
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Type Db:
This version is practical identical to the previous one. The only difference I noticed is that the ace of shield has rotated by 180°.
Size: 88 x 56 mm
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Type E:
This is the first version where you have detailed manufacturer information. On the ace of bell, you can read "Spielkartenfabrik Hächler Söhne AG, Zürich - Oerlikon" and the company logo, which is a big letter "H" with two club signs. So far, you only had this logo on the original plastic boxes of these decks.
Size: 88 x 56 mm
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