ca. 1st of May 1989 - 15th of May 1989
The 5x14-theory is born after reading Stuart's Kaplan Tarot-Encyclopedia I within 2 weeks. In my opinion of that time the theory had a chance of 99 % probability to be true.

October 1989 and later
Contacts to German publishers ended with frustrations. Nobody was interested in the theme. Private contacts to some playing cards experts (Kaplan, Hoffmann) ended without results.

1996
Internet started. Activities in alt.tarot and TarotL. Contacts to Jess Karlin, Bill Heidrick, George Leake, Mary Greer, Bob O'Neill and others.

March/April 1997
At a private emaillist I suggested the 5x14-theory. Most participants didn't get the level to discuss it really, Bob O'Neill took a longer interest, but rejected it finally.

April/May 2002
I took contact to Franco Pratesi, who made me known with his works about the Michelino-deck and his studies in Florence, also with other facts about early playing card research. Franco was very friendly and discussed with me many details of my own theory via email. I realised, that Marcello in his letter didn't show any curiosity about the unusual Michelino-deck with its 16 trump cards and did call it a "ludus triumphorum", a name, which in common playing card research was seen as sign of playing card decks with 4x14+22-structure. In this case the use of the term was different and the observation gave additional strength to the 5x14-theory.

October 2003

I became aware, that in one of Pratesis texts a note about "70 cards" was given  with a reference to an article of Gherardo Ortalli.

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