Victor Jerome Merceron's family came to Baltimore, Maryland, about 1829 from Middlesex, England. Victor was born there shortly after their arrival.
During the 1840s the family had a hard time. Victor's father had to declare bankruptcy and the family moved to a nearby farm. Soon after Victor's brother, Napoleon, joined the Army and went to fight in the Mexican-American War. He was killed at the Battle of Vera Cruz, Mexico, in March 1847.
During the 1840s the family had a hard time. Victor's father had to declare bankruptcy and the family moved to a nearby farm. Soon after Victor's brother, Napoleon, joined the Army and went to fight in the Mexican-American War. He was killed at the Battle of Vera Cruz, Mexico, in March 1847.
U S Troops Landing At Vera Cruz
In 1850 Victor was working on the farm, but soon changed careers. Moving into Baltimore he learned the trade of a Gilder. A gilder would learn to cover surfaces of items, for example books, furniture, harps, and signs, with metal leaf. This could be with aluminum, gold, or silver. They would rub a camel-hair brush in their hair to electrify it and pick up the leaf with the brush, or T-shaped, felt-edged tool, and lay the leaf over the item by hand. Then they would then smooth the leaf over the surface and remove the excess. To simulate a worn metal finish they would rub the leaf with a polished burnishing agate, cotton pad, or gloved hand. Victor specialized in edge gilding.
In 1852 he married and soon re-located to Philadelphia to work and raise his family.
In 1886 Victor came up with an idea for an improvement to playing cards. He assigned his idea to the Perfection Playing Card Company of Philadelphia. Was he working there as a gilder? We don't know.
His idea was to have irregular edges around the card. To what advantage, or purpose, for this is not stated in his patent. (Design No. 16,868, dated August 24, 1886.)
Perfection Playing Card never used his idea in any of their decks as far as I can find. This change to a playing card edge would surely stand out.
In 1852 he married and soon re-located to Philadelphia to work and raise his family.
In 1886 Victor came up with an idea for an improvement to playing cards. He assigned his idea to the Perfection Playing Card Company of Philadelphia. Was he working there as a gilder? We don't know.
His idea was to have irregular edges around the card. To what advantage, or purpose, for this is not stated in his patent. (Design No. 16,868, dated August 24, 1886.)
Perfection Playing Card never used his idea in any of their decks as far as I can find. This change to a playing card edge would surely stand out.
Gilding was not Victor's only skill. He was also a very good violin player. Mentions of his playing with numerous groups in Philadelphia appear in a number of newspaper articles.
Merceron died at age 67 and was buried in the South Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
Merceron died at age 67 and was buried in the South Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.