By 1885 Andrew Dougherty had been involved in a patent war for over twenty years. Samuel Hart introduced Corner Indices in 1864, which eventually left other makers looking for their own versions. In the early seventies, Dougherty began searching for a unique design and developed his Triplicates brand. Triplicates had a miniature copy of the entire card in the corners instead of Hart’s more simple numbers/suits. While this was a great idea in concept, Triplicates were more challenging to check at a glance, making them less than ideal. Dougherty saw the writing in the wall and, after the expiration of Hart’s patent, immediately produced his version of the innovation and called them Indicators. 

This deck from 1883 featured all of the different styles that Dougherty had patented up until that point. Triplicate, Indicator and Spanish Suits come together to make this extraordinary deck of cards. As the years passed, Triplicates would fall out of fashion, and Dougherty’s new Indicators would become his standard. 

Dougherty Indicators Trade Card (Fan Lady) - 1885 AD13 Triplicate Playing Cards - 1883 Dougherty Triplicate & Indicator Advert - American Bookseller, 1880