suit

Directory

References

Images

Suitmarks of playing cards Suitmarks were first used on Italian and Spanish decks of playing cards. Soon after, nature-oriented suitmarks adorned German and Swiss decks. Simple stencil designs reduced the cost of producing playing cards in France, and the French designs were lightly modified in England to produce the modern, or international, suitmarks. Playing cards with national suitmarks are still common in many countries, particularly for use in certain traditional card games, but all international competitions use the international suitmarks.

Discover

Ruminant. Deer. Red deer. Cervus elaphus. Buck. Stag. Antlers.

9 of the World’s Deadliest Mammals

Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept

Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.

10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci

Image of Antenna galaxy

The Fermi Paradox: Where Are All the Aliens?

Chinese dragon sculpture or statue.

10 Legendary Creatures from Around the World

bat flying

Are Bats Really Blind?

The tomb of Saint Nicholas in the crypt of the Basilica di San Nicola, Bari, Apulia, Italy

Do the Relics of Saint Nicholas Really Emit a Holy Substance?

suit

playing cards

Learn about this topic in these articles:

playing card

In playing cards: Suits
The suitmarks of the international, or standard, deck indicate two black and two red suits—namely spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds. The word spade probably represents the Old Spanish spado (“sword”), while club is a direct translation of basto, implying that Spanish suits were used…
Read More