Nathan Kush

Prof. Presnell
English 1103
17 Nov. 2014
Final Paper
The History of Playing Cards and Their Uses Throughout History
Would you like to play a game of cards? It is a simple question like that one which can
lead to having fun and making new friends. Because of this, playing cards have been a
fascination of mine since I was a small child. I can remember playing card games with my
grandmother almost any time my family went to visit. From simple games of Uno and Go Fish, I
ventured into other games such as Spades and Poker. By this time, I was in middle school and I
would play cards with my friends anytime that there was some free time. It was during those
years that I gained a large repertoire of card games and experience merely handling a deck of
cards. Once I began high school, I took a hiatus from cards. I am unsure as to why I did this.
Around my junior year, I resumed playing with cards and I began learning a few basic card tricks
and would perform them for a few classmates. I improved upon my techniques for performing
my tricks and eventually learned better tricks. I have continued on this course of pursuing card
magic for about two years now without even once considering the history of playing cards or
why they were created in the first place. Because of this, I have chosen to research playing cards
so that I can gain some understanding of the history of playing cards and their many uses
throughout the years.
9th Century 14th Century: Early Beginnings in the East
As most people know, modern paper making originated in Imperial China. Knowing this,
it would only seem logical that the first playing cards were discovered in and around China. I

confirmed this theory through multiple sources. The first reference to playing with cards can be
found in texts dating back to 9th Century China. The first artifacts found were Chinese money
cards from the year 969 A.D. They were approximately 4 in. in length by 1.5 in. in width. These
early cards are similar to modern cards because they had four suits:
cash, strings or rods (of cash), myriads (of strings) and tens (of
myriads). This deck contained 33 cards total. (2-9 in the lower three
suits and 1-9 in the tens suit.) These cards were used to gamble with
and some researchers even believe that the cards were actual
currency themselves. Other cards that existed were Chinese chess
cards and Japanese domino cards. A few early games included the
leaf game, the flower game, and the winter cherry game. Most
of these early games were played to gamble. As time progressed,
playing cards began to move into other countries such as Egypt and
Europe. There is evidence of playing cards in Europe as early as the
13th Century. No one is entirely certain as to how playing cards got

to Europe. There are only speculative theories as to how the

Chinese Money Card dated c. 1400 A.D.

movement occurred. Some people believe that playing cards

appeared through trading with the Chinese. Others think that they were brought back from the
Crusades, yet others believe that the cards came through Egypt and into Italy and Spain. Of these
theories, they all have their flaws. The most logical theory, in my opinion, is that playing cards
came through Egypt due to the similarity between Italian Tarot cards and Egyptian cards.
Despite simple origins, playing cards were about to undergo a large amount of design
modifications in Europe.

14th Century 16th Century: Evolution Through Europe

The first cards to be found in Europe were Italian tarot cards. These cards consisted of
four suits: swords, batons or clubs, cups, and coins. Each suit had four picture cards and 10
numeral cards. The picture cards were King, Queen, Knight, and Valet. There was also a Fool
card. These cards were very close to modern playing card dimensions. They measured 4 in. in
length and 2 in. in

width. From Italian playing

cards, it is theorized

that Spanish cards were

created. Spanish cards

have many similarities with

the Italian deck. Some

would even say they are nearly

identical. A few main

differences include the

omission of the Queen, the

Fool, and the numeral 10

Early Italian Tarot Cards

cards from ever suit. The other aspects of the Spanish cards are the same as the Italian deck. I
believe that the minor changes were made to allow for new card games to be played. The next
step in the evolution in playing cards was from the Spanish deck to the Germanic deck. This
deck also had four suits. These suits were leaves, acorns, hearts, and bells. This deck used a total
of 32 cards, each suit containing three court cards and the numerals 2, 7, 8, 9, and 10. The court
cards were interesting because they continued the theme from the Spanish deck by only
including male figures. The court cards themselves are interesting because of their rankings.
They were King, Ober (Over Officer), and Unter (Under Officer). The Germanic deck was then
improved upon by the French creating their own design. This French deck is nearly identical to
modern playing cards. This deck had 52 cards, four suits, numerals 1-10, and three royal cards.

This deck was finalized around the 15th Century. It is this design that has had a major influence
on the look and contents of playing cards now. The only other things needed were minor design
modification that would occur later.

Early French Playing Cards

16th Century 20th Century: Simplification and Standardization

By this time in history, people had used the French deck for most card games. Some
countries stuck with their designs while others, like the English, copied the French design and
improved upon it. During this time in history, differences in terminology appeared. Each term
almost always vary by country. These terms range from what a deck of playing cards is called to
the names of the court cards. For instance, in 15th Century English, it was common to say a
pair of cards, meanwhile Shakespeare coined the term deck. These names vary between
regions around the world. The British say a pack, Americans say a deck, Russians, a
korona or crown, and the Italians, a mazzo or bunch. Additionally, it was common to
have court cards being called King, Queen, and Knave. (Knave can be translated to young boy or
menial servant.) This was not an issue until indexes were invented for playing cards.

Earliest playing cards with indexes

known as Squeezers.

The indexes were great for ease of reading, however, Knave had to be changed to Jack to
prevent confusion with the King. This led to a social gap due to Jack being a slang word in those
days. Despite the change, those that were of a more dignified background still referred to the
card as a Knave. Other modification to playing card designs included double-ended court
cards, jokers, elaborate back designs, and one being termed ace. Although these modifications
seem small or insignificant, without them, playing cards would not be what they are today.
Double-ended court cards are what are in use today. The image of a court cards is symmetrical
horizontally. Before this invention, court cards included the entire image of the person,
sometimes including their feet in the image. This caused issues in card games because players
would watch opponents rotate their cards. This served as a tell that certain players hold face
cards. This type of information would be priceless in gambling games such as poker. Jokers in a
deck of cards are derived from the Fool found in the original Italian Tarot decks. The joker was
created to allow for the card game Euchre. In Euchre, there was the need for an extra card to
serve as the best bower. The joker filled this role. Why modern decks include two jokers is to
allow for newer card games or to serve as wild cards in poker. Before the 16th Century, the

numerals within a deck were 1-10 with one being the lowest card in the deck. It is theorized that
one changed to Ace during the French Revolution. This idea comes from the lower populations
rising higher in power than the Kings and Queens. In modern card games, aces can be either high
or low cards or sometimes even both. Before the 19th Century, back designs were largely plain or
had simple patterns of spots or lines. A change occurred during this time. I believe that the
United States Paying Card Company (USPCC) sparked this change with its iconic rider back
design. The USPCC was established in 1885 and
began manufacturing its playing cards with their
own designs. Other unique things to consider for
playing cards include Hoyles and unusual uses

of

playing cards. According to Hoyle, a Hoyle

Early Bicycle cards from 1885

book lists card games and the rules for each game
including popular variations. These books have been printed since 1746. That was the year that
the first Hoyle was written by Edmond Hoyle. His book was much simpler than ones printed
today simply because there were not very many card games that were invented at that time. Due
to the overall amount of new card games being created, there is no way of estimating the total
number of gad games in existence at any given time. Throughout history, playing cards have
taken some unusual and obscure uses. Most people use cards for gaming and gambling, card
magic, and arts and crafts. These are all common uses. I found some unusual uses on
designshack.net in their article, The Art of Playing Cards. A few of the unusual uses include
stiffening material for book covers, memorandum slips, emergency money, fortune telling, and
statistical probability. When printing massive sheets of playing cards, some are defective. During

the 19th Century, those defective sheets were used to stiffen the covers of books. This was
discovered after a few old books were being repaired and they were found to contain playing
cards. Memorandum slips, or notes cards, are another odd use for playing cards. It seems logical
that this could be a use of playing cards especially when you consider that Post-it notes were not
invented a few hundred years ago. The French have used playing cards as a very desperate
excuse for currency. Their banks had a shortage, so they wrote out values on playing cards and
used them as currency. Fortune telling is commonly done with a tarot deck because of the larger
amount of cards. (78 cards in a tarot deck as compared to the 52 cards in a standard pack.) Most
statisticians have used playing cards for some time to visualize probability scenarios. A deck of
cards is a relatively useful means of displaying the odds of an occurrence. After the 20th Century,
the basic design of playing cards was established and has remained the same since.
20th Century Today: Modernization and Mass Production
Because playing cards have been standardized,
most companies have crafted their own designs for
custom decks of cards. A few examples include fivesuited decks, circular playing cards, black decks, and all
sorts of trick deck for magicians to use. Most of these
experimental decks are novelties, but can serve practical

purposes. Some companies even allow customers to

st

Ellusionists 1 Edition Black Tiger

Deck

design their own playing cards and have them produced.

Additionally, companies have innovated their designs to enhance quality and performance. These
innovations include newer card stocks, and coatings. The best card stock currently available is

a fine linen blend that gives the cards durability and bend. This material is used frequently
throughout casinos due to its high quality. Other casinos use 100% percent plastic cards because
of the highest durability out of all playing card materials. This past century has been filled with
innovation and experimentation with the design of playing cards and I look forward to some of
the newer ideas to be utilized in new designs.
Conclusion: Impact of the Pack
Now that I have completed some research into the history playing cards and their uses, I
have come to the conclusion that playing cards were invented for fun and entertainment
purposes. This holds true for my experiences with playing cards because any time that I think of
playing cards, I can remember having fun with friends and family. Playing cards have had this
effect on people throughout history because the cards serve as a means to interact with one
another and have fun. Additionally, I have noticed that people do not play card games nearly as
much as they did in the past. I believe that this is largely due to technology and its overtaking of
society. For example, in most casinos today, table games, such as poker and blackjack, are being
replaced with technological simulations and online gambling. This is similar to the way that slot
machines were switched from mechanical to computerized versions. Despite the technological
change, I do not think playing card production will ever be stopped because they give gambling
and gaming an authentic feel that technology cannot replicate. Playing cards provide the player a
nearly infinite number of games and other uses that only playing cards can truly achieve.
Additionally, I would be unable to use playing cards to amaze audiences in my magic routines.
Playing cards have been essential in magic for centuries and they should at the least remain for
that purpose. In conclusion, I believe that playing cards are simply a means to have fun by
yourself or with friends and playing cards should remain as such.

Works Cited
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London: Spring Books, 1957. Print.
Dancey, Charlie. Every Trick in the Book. New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2013. Print.
"Design Shack - Web Design Gallery, Articles & Community." Design History: The Art of
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