Why do playing cards have 52 cards

The four are the four apostles, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Here the soldier says that the deck is not only a Bible, but an almanac.

When I count how many cards are in the pack, there are 52, the number of weeks. When I count the number of tricks won in a pack, I find there are 13, the number of months in a year. The story has been reprinted many times over hundreds of years. It has even been turned into popular music by several recording artists, including game show host Wink Martindale in the USA and variety entertainer Max Bygraves in the UK. The story is also well known to magicians who, over the years, have been inspired to create their own, perhaps more entertaining, narratives.

Inside, the prisoners found parts of maps that would lead them to freedom. Have a question, give us a call Check out our Gallery to see the custom designs of deck of playing cards using our online tool by people and businesses just like you and make your gift UNIQUE.

Click Order Now to build your personalized deck! Le Pic October 8, at pm. Log in to Reply. Add Comment Cancel reply. Learn New Shuffling Tips and Techniques Shuffle like the pros by mastering these simple rules and techniques. Refine By. Play more! An Introduction to Cardistry Cardistry is the non-magical manipulation of playing cards to display creativity, performance art, and skill. Card Magic Learn a short history of magic and find more information on this fascinating and entertaining art.

Five People to Leave at Home on Poker Night You might want to leave these five people at home or poker night could very well be ruined. A History of Playing Cards Check out our verbal and visual history of playing cards, in all their gaming glory.

Unexpected Places to find Vintage Decks Learn how and where to find valuable and beautiful treasures of the online card trade. That was the year England began to tax sales of playing cards. The ace was stamped to indicate that the tax had been paid, and forging an ace was a crime punishable by death. To this day, the ace is boldly designed to stand out.

The king of hearts offers another curiosity: The only king without a mustache, he appears to be killing himself by means of a sword to the head. As printing spurred rapid reproduction of decks, the integrity of the original artwork declined. When printing blocks wore out, Bostock explained, card makers would create new sets by copying either the blocks or the cards. This process amplified previous errors. Hand craftsmanship and high taxation made each deck of playing cards an investment.

As such, cards became a feast for the eye. Fanciful, highly specialized decks offered artists a chance to design a kind of collectible, visual essay.

Playing-card manufacturers produced decks meant for other uses beyond simple card playing, including instruction, propaganda, and advertising. Perhaps because they were so prized, cards were often repurposed: as invitations, entrance tickets, obituary notes, wedding announcements, music scores, invoices—even as notes between lovers or from mothers who had abandoned their babies.

In this way, the humble playing card sometimes becomes an important historical document, one that offers both scholars and amateur collectors a window into the past.