Playing cards originated in ancient China, and were introduced into Europe sometime in the 14th century. There are a wide variety of collectible cards today, from highly ornamented early European cards to tarot cards to 20th century decks issued by railroads, casinos, and cruise lines, or reflecting contemporary themes like war, politics and sports.
The earliest playing cards were hand-painted, often gilded, and designed to be beautiful o...bjects. Meant for gambling or playing games of skill, they were also often used as symbolism or mnemonics for representing knowledge ranging from botany to heraldry, cosmology to geography.
The earliest surviving playing cards date from the fifteenth century, with imagery of animals, plants, birds and flowers. By about 1500 three main suit systems had evolved: Latin (including Italian, Spanish and Portuguese); Germanic (German and Swiss) and French, which has become the most widely-used suit system around the world.
Playing card design as we know it today (double-ended court cards with crowns, etc.) became standardized in the 1800s by designers like Hunt, Reynolds, De La Rue, and Goodall.
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