Mission

The Etteilla Foundation is dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of playing cards. We nurture partnerships with museums and cultural organizations, fostering a deeper public understanding and appreciation of the cultural significance, intricate symbolism, and exquisite artistry embodied in playing cards. We strive to democratize access to this unique art form, its history, and its secret role in occult practices by making the hundreds of decks we preserve alongside key historical documents freely accessible via the Etteilla Foundation website: https://etteilla.org

Funding and Donations

The Etteilla Foundation is a 501(c)(3) US public charity founded by Elie Bursztein which is committed to ensure its long term financial stability. The Foundation is able to receive tax deductible in kind and monetary donations from the public.

Part of the Foundation mission is to offer collectors a long-term safe-haven for their collection. This is why the Foundation is open to receive in-kind donations of rare decks, related books and historical artifactsfrom collectors that desire to preserve and share their collection with the world in perpetuity. Please contact us if you are interested in partnering with the Foundation to ensure the perennity of your collection.

Our History

Our Foundation began its journey as one of the largest private collections of antique playing cards, related books, and artifacts, owned by our founder, Elie Bursztein. Recognizing the unique and historical importance of his collection, Bursztein pledged to make his collection accessible to the public, ensure its preservation for future generations, and help other collectors to do the same.

2021: Beginning of a Journey

Our initial step was to digitize some of Elie’s rarest decks and share them anonymously online via the website https://ancient.cards, to engage the community and solicit feedback

2022: Long term commitment

After receiving overwhelmingly positive community feedback, we committed to become a public charity that will preserve playing cards in perpetuity. Simultaneously, we invested substantial resources to develop a cutting-edge online collection system, robust enough to manage, index, and share thousands of playing card decks securely and reliably for centuries to come.

2023: Official Incorporation and Public Launch

The Etteilla Foundation officially incorporated in the U.S.A as a public charity in February. It was designated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization by the IRS in May 2023, qualifying it to accept tax-deductible donations from the public. After months of rigorous testing, our website, etteilla.org, launched publicly in June.

Our journey continues...