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How did the 52 card deck of cards evolve?

Question #20270. Asked by Jack of Spades.
Last updated Nov 29 2022.

Senior Moments
Answer has 10 votes
Currently Best Answer
Senior Moments

Answer has 10 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
link https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/why-are-there-52-cards-deck-4-suits-13-king-queen-ace.html

One suggestion is from scienceabc.com - Our common playing cards are in truth a symbolic representation of our calendar that has been used for centuries by the priests in the temples to work with planetary motion and earth's cycles. If one but notices how all the numeric values in a deck of cards match our calendar perfectly, it becomes apparent that our common deck of cards are not so common after all.

52 Cards = 52 weeks
4 suits = 4 seasons
13 cards in each suit = the 13 lunar cycles (full and new moons)
364/7 days in the week = 52 cards in a deck

But the real clincher is when we add up the numeric, or spot, value of each card in the deck. The entire deck added together comes to 364. But with the addition of the Joker, which is considered to have a spot value of 1.25, we get 365.25, exactly the number of days in our calendar year. It should be noted that our cards are in perfect design for the planet earth solely. They do not represent the cycles of any other planet known to exist. Therefore, they truly are uniquely devised with us in mind. Used correctly and with knowledge of the ancient methods of handling the cards and laying them out, we can reveal the personal destinies of men, women, companies and nations. Where do they come from? The first book published about this ancient system was made available in 1894. In that book the author claims that our playing cards originated on the continent of Atlantis and were propogated around the earth after the demise of that grand civilization.


Response last updated by gtho4 on Nov 29 2022.
Jul 03 2002, 6:19 AM
Friar Tuck
Answer has 3 votes
Friar Tuck

Answer has 3 votes.
Where playing cards originated from is unknown, but they've certainly been around since the 14th Century. It has been speculated that cards have evolved from Tarot (which use the suits cups, swords, money and clubs), or that there's a connection with Hindu statues (which traditionally hold a cup, sword, ring and baton). link http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A597882

Speculation aside, the standard deck of cards that we are familiar with today, has evolved over the ages. Until Victorian times there were no Aces, but instead, for each of the suits, there was a card with just the number '1' on it. Interestingly, in the 18th Century, the Ace of spades bore a mark on it from to prove a levy on the pack had been paid to the government. (If your pack didn't have the mark on it, the punishment was hanging.)

Jul 03 2002, 6:22 AM
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