I think Tilley’s book is the most authoritative, though it was written a few decades ago if you want to explore any innovations since about the ~1970s.
P.S. The origins of playing cards are endlessly disputed. A lot of what one reads online is either wrong, or fails to give adequate disclaimers.
It seems the only safe answers are “No one really knows” and “Multiple civilizations came up with similar ideas a very very long time ago.”
But leaving aside China, Arabia, et al., Tilley (above) makes it clear that what we now consider playing cards derives largely from France and England, with some Italian and German contributions, going back 250-300 years.
One thing which struck me is that the fundamental size and proportions of cards basically has been unchanged since the late 18th century. Other formats have been tried (round cards, smaller cards, bigger cards, etc.) but these never rise above novelties. To me that says that the current size is not just a convention, but the “right” one that fits the most players.
The advent of poker in the U.S. seems to have led to key design innovations like indices, which didn’t come in until the mid-19th century. But for the most part, basic card design was set before poker even existed.
One thing which used to be a major concern was deck security. Fresh decks were wrapped in elaborately printed and sealed paper packages, sometimes also tied with string, and tightly regulated by governments both to reap taxes and reduce cheating.
You still sometimes see companies making fancy-ish cases, but these are pretty tame compared to the artistry of old wrappers.
The ones below aren’t even that old, since they are stamped “poker.”
P.S. The origins of playing cards are endlessly disputed. A lot of what one reads online is either wrong, or fails to give adequate disclaimers.
It seems the only safe answers are “No one really knows” and “Multiple civilizations came up with similar ideas a very very long time ago.”
But leaving aside China, Arabia, et al., Tilley (above) makes it clear that what we now consider playing cards derives largely from France and England, with some Italian and German contributions, going back 250-300 years.
One thing which struck me is that the fundamental size and proportions of cards basically has been unchanged since the late 18th century. Other formats have been tried (round cards, smaller cards, bigger cards, etc.) but these never rise above novelties. To me that says that the current size is not just a convention, but the “right” one that fits the most players.
The advent of poker in the U.S. seems to have led to key design innovations like indices, which didn’t come in until the mid-19th century. But for the most part, basic card design was set before poker even existed.
One thing which used to be a major concern was deck security. Fresh decks were wrapped in elaborately printed and sealed paper packages, sometimes also tied with string, and tightly regulated by governments both to reap taxes and reduce cheating.
You still sometimes see companies making fancy-ish cases, but these are pretty tame compared to the artistry of old wrappers.
The ones below aren’t even that old, since they are stamped “poker.”
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