Photo of Ben Bornstein A brief biography of Ben Bornstein

Ben Bornstein has an outstanding collection boasting more than 2,000 decks - including many rare and prized decks from the last 200 years. In his collection, Ben mostly emphasizes non-standard decks - that is, decks where the faces of the cards are unusual or contain pictures or scenes. He also has decks from more than 70 countries.

As an active participant in collectors' organizations and a published author on the subject, Ben loves to correspond with people who are interested in playing cards whether you're an expert in the field or are totally new to the hobby. He gladly exchanges e-mail with friends from around the globe!

For answers to your questions about playing cards, information about clubs for collectors, good books on the subject, buying, selling and trading decks, or to have DECKS APPRAISED or BUYERS FOUND FOR DECKS, please feel free to drop a note to Ben Bornstein. Most e-mail inquiries are answered within a day or two.

A native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Ben has been retired for a number of years and devotes many of his daylight hours to his collection and his computer. His dear wife of more than 50 years, Jean, is also an avid antique collector and happily goes along on his many trips to flea markets and antique fairs. Ben has four married children and eight grandchildren.


This biography (like this entire web site) has been prepared as a public service by Ben Bornstein's nephew, Shep Bostin. In addition to being a leading playing card collector, Ben Bornstein is a great uncle who has shared two wonderful hobbies with his nephew: the joy of performing magic and the pleasure of collecting playing cards. Thanks Uncle Ben! - SB


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Copyright ©2001 by Ben Bornstein and Shep Bostin. All Rights Reserved.

(benbio.html rev 3-Mar-01)