History of decks
How cards appeared in the East, when they reached Europe and why their appearance changed only slowly over the centuries while remaining recognisable. We report only what the sources confirm.
Articles
Articles
This page brings together the themes that make up the magazine and the catalogue of standalone articles. We look at the playing card from several angles: as an object with a long history, as a piece of printmaking, as an artist's work and as something people collect, describe and care for. Choose the theme closest to your interests and follow the links inside the cards.
Every old deck had someone who drew it, even if that name was forgotten long ago.
How we choose topics: a subject makes it into the magazine if it has an image worth examining, a craft worth explaining and a history that can be checked against open sources. You will not find game rules, product reviews or buying advice here.
Magazine themes
Six directions around which our articles are built.
Suits and court cards
Suit signs and court characters as a system of images: why the king has a crown and an attribute, how artists fitted a figure into a narrow rectangle and where the double-ended design came from.
Printing techniques
Woodcut, copper engraving, drawing on stone and offset. We explain how each technology changed line, colour and print runs, and what features give it away.
Card designs around the world
Different parts of Europe developed their own suit signs and their own types of court cards. We compare local traditions in general terms and show what they have in common.
Cards in painting and book art
A deck on the table in a genre scene, scattered cards in a still life, vignettes and headpieces in old books: in art, a card often works as a hint to the viewer.
Collecting and storage
What enthusiasts collect, how to describe a deck for your own catalogue and how to protect pasteboard from light, damp and dust without great expense.
Catalogue of English-language articles
This is where standalone articles written specifically for English-speaking readers will appear. We choose subjects close to this audience, from the familiar English court cards to the history of British and American card printing, and write each text from scratch.
- GTA 6 Story Mode Progression Guide: Source Check
What is confirmed about GTA 6 story progression before launch, what is only expected from series history, and how to check the sources behind new claims.
- Aion 2 Kinah farming: Practical Overview for Players
A practical look at Kinah in Aion 2: why players farm it, the general approaches, how patches change things, and the rules around real-money trading.
- Genshin Impact: Coaching — What To Know Before Starting
Field notes on Genshin Impact coaching: what it involves, what to prepare, how to keep your account safe, and free alternatives worth trying first.
- How to evaluate gaming services and player resources: Online Communities
How players use guides, videos, forums and gaming services, and a set of honest criteria for judging community resources before trusting their advice.
What the editors are working on
- The English pattern: how the familiar court cards got their faces
- The card back as ornament: patterns from Victorian and Edwardian decks
- The ace of spades and its decorations: a short history of an ornate card
- How to describe an old deck for a home catalogue
Editorial rules
- Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
- Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
- We do not promote gambling or publish advertising, rankings, prices or reviews.
Read next
- Collections
Three reading routes: court cards and kings, card backs and patterns, small decks and patience.
- History
The journey of the playing card from Tang-dynasty China to the European suits and the Russian "Atlas" deck of 1862.
- Analysis
How the picture of a card king is built, and how to tell woodcut, copper engraving, lithography and offset apart by the print.
- People
Designer, engraver, printer, card maker, collector and curator: the people behind every deck.
- Archive
The magazine's contents and why pages of the former website on this domain are not being restored.
Sources
- Encyclopaedic sources on the history of playing cards
- Museum catalogues and publications on printmaking
Dates and facts about the history of playing cards come from open encyclopaedic and museum sources; where historians disagree, we try to say so. Please check the times, venues and admission arrangements for exhibitions and lectures with the organisers.