This list was compiled by Congress experts Colin Brady, Matt Schacht, Glenn Currie, Kevan Seaney, and a private collector. These are some of the most difficult to find Congress decks (excluding pre-1900 lacquer decks), in no particular order, as they are all extremely difficult to find, let alone obtain.
Spinning Wheel (Borderless, 1899)
Estimated known decks: NONE
Estimated known decks: NONE
Spinning Wheel is commonly found with a design around the borders and the woman is pictured differently. The two cards shown here are the only ones we currently know of. This back design may be the first version.
Eventide (1910)
Estimated known complete decks: NONE
Estimated known complete decks: NONE
A deck depicting a couple on a boat named "Nancy", Eventide is a deck that is highly sought after by Congress collectors. No one knows if a full deck even exists.
Chloe (1917)
Estimated known complete decks: 1
Estimated known complete decks: 1
Produced in 1917, this deck depicts a woman who doesn't look too excited about posing for a portrait. Maybe that's why there is only one known full deck?
Grand Canyon (1911)
Estimated known complete decks: 2
Estimated known complete decks: 2
Just as the name implies, this deck shows a painting of the Colorado River running through the Grand Canyon. A very beautiful back design, no doubt. The first complete deck was "discovered" in 2017, and the second in 2022.
Minuet (1907)
Estimated known complete decks: 1
Estimated known complete decks: 1
This last version of Minuet has only one known full deck. The original version of this back design first appeared in 1901 and looks similar to this back design, although less elaborate. This border is unique to this design and the people in this one appear more detailed.
Janice (1917)
Estimated known complete decks: 1
Estimated known complete decks: 1
This deck shows a young woman from the side, and she doesn't look very thrilled. The current owner of this deck might be overjoyed, since that person is the only one who has a full deck.
Chameleon (1900)
Estimated known complete decks: 1
Estimated known complete decks: 1
One of the most colorful and elaborate back designs of the pictorial series, Chameleon doesn't disappoint.
Clown (1900)
Estimated known complete decks: 2
Estimated known complete decks: 2
Clown is one of the decks that isn't a traditional "work of art", like you see on other decks of the pictorial series. A clown in all white, sitting on a crescent moon, playing what appears to be a mandolin while a fairy of some kind watches from above. A truly unique back design. One deck is in private hands. The second belongs to USPCC but is missing its joker. Another private collector has a joker (unrelated to USPCC's)
Yacht (1903)
Estimated known complete decks: 1
Estimated known complete decks: 1
This version had no known complete decks in existence until early in 2023 when a collector spotted one on eBay, France. There are a few known singles as well as a joker, and another box.
Erin (1918)
Estimated known complete decks: NONE
Estimated known complete decks: NONE
Known as the Harp of Erin, this Celtic harp goes by many names, but to the layperson they are all synonymous. The only known deck was bought sometime in the 1980s to be broken up for singles collectors. We didn't even know this until an Australian collector notified me of this story, as we weren't even sure this deck existed.
By Heck (1917)
Estimated known complete decks: 1
Estimated known complete decks: 1
This deck depicts a farmer staring in awe of a new machine of the day, the airplane, as if to say "by heck!" as the plane flies overhead. One collector knows that one deck was broken up and sold off to singles collectors. He also believes he knows where all the cards reside, thus the estimated number of 53.
This same private collector also has the only known complete deck.
This same private collector also has the only known complete deck.