Box Dimensions: Cm 15x11x2,5. Inside: Plexiglas tray containing n.2 decks of n.40 cards each, each other differentiated by back color. Playing Card size: Cm 6,6×10. Playing Card material: Plastic-coated duplex cardboard with rounded corners. Folding leaflet dimension: Cm 40×28.
The artwork is packed in rigid cardboard boxes. Shipping costs to be paid by the buyer, alternatively the artwork can be picked up, without shipping costs, at Tessilarredo store (+39 0961 727014), located in Via Alcide De Gasperi 52, Catanzaro, Italy. The placement of the artwork does not necessarily require a frame. Because of printing technique and material chosen by the author, the artwork may present slight imperfections that characterize it and guarantee its uniqueness.
Game Rules
Different numbers of players can participate in the game of Il Mercante in Fiera Calabrese. You play with two identical decks of 40 cards each and on every card you find a different image. Only the colour on the back of the two decks is different, one is orange and one is blue. The game involves an auctioneer, also called the Merchant, who can be one of the players. First, the auctioneer collects an agreed wager from each player, which is the same for everyone. Then they take one of the two decks (e.g. the blue one), shuffle it (or let it be shuffled) and give the same number of cards to each participant, keeping the rest for the auction. Usually the auctioneer makes sure that about a third or a quarter of the full deck remains (e.g. if there are 12 players, each one receives 2 cards and 16 remain available).
The remaining cards (from the blue deck in our example) will be auctioned off, one or more at a time, at the auctioneer’s will. The auctioneer will have to use all their wit and eloquence to make the auction engaging and fun to get as much money as possible from the buyers. After all, selling is an artform! The rules state that before giving the card to the highest bidder, the auctioneer solemnly repeats the invitation to bid three times. They can sell the cards at auction either by declaring the quantity or keeping it a mystery, hiding them so that no one knows the real number being sold (obviously in the latter case the auctioneer, if they are also a player, cannot to bid). When the auction is over, the money collected (with the initial stakes and the auctions) is divided into prize money (usually a very substantial first prize with other prizes gradually decreasing in value).
Then 3 to 6 cards (depending on the number of participants) from the unused deck (in our example the orange one) will be drawn randomly (usually with the assistance of innocent children) and placed covered on the table. These are the lucky cards to which the prize monies are now allocated. In order to build an even higher level of suspense, one of the lucky cards can be left without a prize, so all players in the game, except one, will be winners until the very last moment.
Then the auctioneer will begin to reveal, one by one, all the losing cards (from the blue deck). Each time one of the players have in their hand a card with an identical image to the one called (but with the orange back), those two cards will be discarded. In the end, all the losing cards will have been discarded, except for those identical (except for the back color) to the cards on the table. These cards will then be revealed and the winners will be crowned, receiveing the corresponding prize money. As you can see, a particularly lucky player could win more than one prize. Have fun!
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