Widespread Card Manufacturingĭue to their lavish nature, playing cards were typically reserved for the wealthiest and most noble individuals. Since they also didn’t use 8s or 9s for the national game of “Ombre”, most Spanish decks would only have 40 cards. While Italian playing cards featured a standard King, Queen and Knave or Prince (later known as a Jack), Spanish playing cards did not have any Queens or 10s. The earliest playing cards were stunning, hand-painted masterpieces - particularly the Court Cards. Sometimes referred to as “Latin Suits”, these suits may have origins in Tarot cards and can still be found on Italian and Spanish playing cards to this day. During this time, European cards also introduced the idea of using 4 suits: The Swords, Clubs, Cups and Coins. The popularity of playing cards continued to grow throughout the end of the 14th century and into the early 15th century. While living in a Swiss monastery, Johannes wrote about the development of playing cards and the variety of card games they could be used for.

However, the earliest confirmed record of playing cards was found in a manuscript written by a German monk named Johannes in 1377.