German-suited playing cards
German-suited playing cards are a very common style of traditional
History
Playing cards (Spielkarten) originally entered
German-suited packs originally had four court cards per suit (King, Queen, Ober and Unter), but the Queen was dropped in the early 16th century. The ten was often depicted with a banner and known as the Banner or Panier; this survives in Swiss-suited cards, but died out in Germany in the mid-16th century, although it continued to be called by the name Panier until at least 1783.[3] The Aces had been dropped even earlier, probably by the 1470s, leaving the standard German pack with 48 cards; the Deuce being promoted into the gap left by the Ace. During the 18th century, the 48-card pack was further reduced to 36, although there is evidence of 48-card, so-called 'Karniffel' packs being sold until the first half of the 19th century in places.[4]
German-suited cards spread throughout Central Europe into areas that were once under German or Austrian control:
Until the
Traditional card games in which German suits are used include Binokel, Doppelkopf, Gaigel, Schafkopf, Skat, Tarock and Watten.
Composition
Suits | Herzen Hearts |
Schellen Bells |
Eicheln Acorns |
Blätter Leaves |
German suited decks tend to have fewer cards than either the
In Bavaria, Austria and South Tyrol, the 6 of Bells (or sometimes the 7 of Bells where there is no 6) is known as the
The Ace in German and Swiss German sets have a peculiar history. Aces disappeared from German decks during the 15th century. When the Ace was promoted above the King in French packs during the 16th century, the Deuce did so as well in Germany leading to the conflation of the Ace and Deuce. This is why in most packs the Ace depicts two pips and is also called a
Patterns
Many regions have their own pattern (Bild) which features their own unique artwork or number of cards. Some patterns are descended from much earlier ones like the Saxon pattern which can trace their ancestry to the 15th-century Stukeley type cards named after their identifier, William Stukeley, in 1763.
Northern
Northern patterns include the Saxon pattern, in old, new and double-figured variants, the Lower Saxon pattern and the two types of Prussian, or Prussian-Silesian, pattern. Most were originally produced with 36 cards but this was reduced to 32 cards after the spread of Skat. In northern patterns, the acorns are red.
Saxon pattern
The only traditional northern pattern still in regular production in Germany is the Saxon pattern where only pip cards have corner indices. However, Saxon pattern cards of various designs have been produced for over 500 years for the German-speaking region bounded roughly by the
The modern double-ended Saxon pattern is the product of a long evolution from the primitive Stukeley type cards imported from Nuremberg.[7] Wolfgang Suma identified four stages of development:[6]
- Nuremberg pattern, Stukeley type, imported in the late 15th century. Later called Ruimpf cards after the game.
- Cavalier cards, developed in the first half of the 18th century probably in Leipzig
- Schwerterkarte (Sword cards), first appeared 1800, became double-ended in late 19th century.[a]
- East German pattern, designed 1963–1964.
Ruimpf cards
In Saxony and Thuringia there was also a pack known as Ruimpf cards (Rümpffkarte or Rümpfkarte) that was produced from the 16th to the 18th century, before being replaced by the Saxon pattern.[5] Ruimpf or Ruempf (German: Rümpfspiel or Rümpffen) was the name of a game for which the precise rules are unknown. Ruimpf cards are believed to have originated in south Germany and destined for export to the Ore Mountains. They were narrower than the almost square cards of the older Nuremberg pattern (see below).[8][9]
Schwerterkarte
The older variant of the Saxon single-headed pattern originated in Leipzig and Dresden in the early 19th century, being typified by the Schwerterkarte, named after the crossed swords on the coat of arms of the Deuces of Acorns. Replicas of this early type are still made, for example the 1835 example produced by Altenburger. A newer, more elaborate, variant emerged in the early 19th century. Both designs feature a great lion on the Acorn Deuce, lovers being surprised on the Deuce of Bells and the Unter of Bells holding a tame bird. The pip cards feature a range of ornamental scenes from animals, legendary and real, to biblical scenes. The latter fell away in the double-headed versions that came into vogue at the end of the 19th century and are still in production today.[10]
East German pattern
These older northern patterns have been eclipsed by the double-headed New Altenburg, New German or East German pattern, created by Walter Krauss (1908–1985) in the former
Prussian pattern
Meanwhile, for over a century the Prussian pattern has been the most common German-suited pattern in
Southern
The 36 card Bavarian (Munich and Stralsund types), Franconian, and Salzburg (or einfachdeutsche) patterns are descended from the Old Bavarian pattern which itself goes back to the 15th-century Augsburg pattern.[17][18] In all variants the Obers and Unters are portrayed as fighters, with the Ober and Unter of Leaves carrying a drum and fife respectively. Bavarian cards have an aspect ratio of roughly 2:1. In the non-reversible (Einfach) pattern which used to be commonplace, various pictorial designs were used, especially on the pip cards. These individual scenes are now only found on the Deuces (also called Twos, Sows, or Aces). Since the 1980s, Italian manufacturers have included 5s into their Salzburg decks to allow the German speaking South Tyroleans to play Italian card games that require 40 cards with suits they are more familiar with. Salzburg decks also inherited the "Weli" from its extinct sibling, the Tyrolean pattern.[19] The Salzburg pattern remains non-reversible and lacks corner indices. Most games require only 32 cards by excluding the 6s such as Schafkopf. Games that require the full deck include Bavarian Tarock, Jass, Tapp and some versions of Watten.
Patterns that are still printed:
- Bavarian Doppelbild, Munich type
- Bavarian Doppelbild, Stralsund type
- Franconian reversible pattern
- Bohemian (or Prague) pattern
- Salzburg pattern (also called the single German or simple German pattern)
Patterns that have ceased printing:
- Ansbach or Nuremberg (narrow type) pattern
- Old Bavarian pattern (common predecessor) with variants in Poland and Russia
- Bavarian-Swabian pattern
- Isarkreis pattern (predecessor of the Salzburg pattern)
- Lemberg pattern
- Nuremberg pattern (wide type)
- Nuremberg Eagle (coat of arms) cards
- Regensburg pattern (predecessor of the Bohemian pattern)
- Tyrolean pattern
- Polish pattern
The Bohemian (or Prague) pattern pack is the standard one still used in the Bohemian part of the Czech Republic.[b] It is closely related to the Salzburg pattern of Austria and thus is also descended from the Old Bavarian – one of the oldest German-suited packs – but there are only 32 cards in the pack, like the northern ones. The cards are single-headed and lack corner indices. and are used for playing traditional regional games. The Knaves represent soldiers and hold spears, halberds or swords or, in the case of the suit of Leaves, are depicted playing a fife or drum. The Kings are seated and come with two suit marks like the Deuces. The pip cards have miniature scenes of animals or rural life.[20] Today the pattern is still produced by Společnost Hrací Karty 1884.[21]
Origins
The Augsburg pattern was one of the two ancestors (the other being the Ulm-Munich pattern) of the present Bavarian pattern pack and appeared around 1500. The four kings sitting on thrones are each accompanied by two armed servants. The Ober and Unter of Leaves are military musicians, the Ober is a bagpipe-playing fool; the Unter is playing a 'fanfare' or flute. The Ober and Unter of Hearts are armed with polearms, the Ober and Unter of Bells with swords, The Ober and Unter of Acorns carry a mace and bossed shield.
In the middle of the 17th century, after the Thirty Years' War, the Augsburg pattern changed into the so-called Old Bavarian pattern. The Ober and Unter of Acorns were now each armed with a sword and parrying dagger. The Ober and Unter of Leaves now carried a drum and fife respectively; from now on the drummer and fifer became the distinguishing feature of the Bavarian pattern. Obers and Unters of the same suit were armed, as in a fencing school, with the same weapons. In this period the number of cards was reduced from the former 48 (the One – Ace – had already disappeared) to 36 (the Three, Four and Five were removed; the Two or Deuce already outranked the King by that time), probably due to paper shortages. In the late 17th century, during the Turkish Wars, the Kings of Leaves and Acorns swapped their crowns for turbans. The Deuces depicted various scenes. The Deuce of Leaves had a pyramid with a unicorn, deer and eagle; the Deuce of Acorns depicted Bacchus, the Deuce of Bells had a wild boar being attacked by a hunting dog and, on the Deuce of Hearts was usually a Cupid. Around 1750 this pattern became widespread across the whole old Bavarian region. Smaller variations of this pattern became common in Congress Poland from 1918.
Modern Bavarian patterns
In the newly formed
- The Ober of Leaves carries the drum on his right knee instead of the left.
- The Unter of Acorns wears a beret.
- The Ober of Acorns has a pointed shield instead of an oval one.
- The Bacchus on the Deuce of Acorn has a beer mug instead of a wine goblet.
- The Cupid has butterfly wings.
In the 20th century, the pip and court cards were gradually marked with indices and the misprinting of Deuces with the letter A, instead of the more accurate D, prevailed.
After the Second World War, the previously dominant non-reversible cards finally disappeared and were replaced by the reversible designs that are still widespread today. Non-reversible versions are occasionally reprinted but for the interest of collectors as opposed for gaming. For example, in 1980, ASS produced a limited run of non-reversible packs of the Munich type for export to West Germany.[22]
Württemberg
The
In the present, the cards are sold as a doubled pack of 48 cards (24 unique cards duplicated). The duplicated cards (7, 10, U, O, K, A of each suit) are used to play
Central European
The Tell pattern,
The characters from the drama were chosen to avoid censorship at the time of the Hungarian opposition to
After the Hungarian War of Independence in 1848–49, the Austrian government confiscated the cards.[31] Piatnik of Austria began producing this deck in 1865,[31] they changed two of the characters. The Aces or Deuces depict the four seasons which are also somewhat different in the Austrian and Hungarian versions. The Slovak-Moravian version follows the Austrian version but does not label the characters or the seasons. The Kings represent no one in particular and are shown mounted on horses. Except for the Aces, all pip cards have Roman numerals. The suit symbols are also slightly different, most notably the leaves are now half yellow and end with three tips. They come in packs of 32, 33 (with the Weli), or 36 cards. They are sometimes called "Swiss cards" due to the nationality of the characters but this pattern is not used in Switzerland. In Hungary and other eastern European countries they are called "Hungarian cards" and only come in 32-card packs.
Here are the differences between the current iterations of the Hungarian (first given) and Austrian versions:
Rank/Suit | Hearts | Bells | Leaves | Acorns |
---|---|---|---|---|
Unter | Kuoni the shepherd or Werner Stauffacher | Itel Reding | Walter Fürst | Rudolf Harras |
Ober | Hermann Gessler |
Stüssi the Ranger or Arnold von Melchtal | Ulrich of Rudenz | William Tell |
Deuce | Spring, a young woman picking flowers (different poses) | Summer, a young man resting on a haystack or a young woman haymaking with a sickle | Autumn, a boy drinking grape juice next to a vat or two boys treading grapes | Winter, an old man warming himself with fire or an old woman carrying firewood |
Franco-German hybrid decks
After the unification and reunification of Germany, compromise decks were created to help players from around the country who were used to different suits. The Skat Congress decks split cards diagonally with one half using the pattern with French suits and the other half using the pattern with German suits. This is not unique to Germany as similar split decks are found in Austria, Switzerland and even France.[e]
The Turnierbild pack was created for official Skat tournaments, using the French suited
Footnotes
- ^ The current double-ended Saxon cards first appeared about 1910–1920.
- ^ In the Moravian part of the Czech Republic, Tell cards are preferred.
- ^ Known in German as doppeldeutsche which means "double German" and is a contraction for "double-headed German-suited".
- ^ Nowadays Cluj-Napoca, but in 1804 it was transferring from Hungarian to Austrian sovereignty.
- Grand-Est) were once German territory
References
- ^ Hoffmann, Detlef (1993). Altdeutsche Spielkarten 1500–1650. Nuremberg: Germanischen Nationalmuseums. pp. 19–21.
- ^ a b Dummett, Michael (1980). The Game of Tarot. London: Duckworth. pp. 10–29.
- ^ Der Teutsche Merkur (1783) refers to the Panier several times in its description of the game of Karniffel.
- ^ Dummett 1980, pp. 23–25.
- ^ a b Braun 1966, p. 26.
- ^ a b Suma (1979), pp. 1–16.
- ^ Kranich, Radau & Schlede (2009).
- ^ Suma (1986), p. 19.
- ^ "Gerd Matthes: Spielkartenforscher und Produktmanager der Altenburg Spielkartenfabrik" in Leipziger Seenland, 2/2012, p. 69.
- ^ Pattern Sheet 52 at i-p-c-s.org. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ further history of this pattern: http://www.altacarta.com/english/research/germany-DDR-pattern.html pictures of the original design: http://www.altacarta.com/overview/DDR-d.html pictures of the second (present) design with queens from third design: http://www.altacarta.com/overview/DDR.html
- ^ Pollett, Andrea. "Patterns from former East Germany". Andy's Playing Cards (archived). Archived from the original on 5 March 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Welterstes Rommé-Blatt aus Thüringen erschienen at www.thueringen24.de. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
- ^ Pattern example on picture no. 4.
- ^ Skat-Andenken im Museumsshop at www.stadt-altenburg.de. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ Sonderbriefmarken sind da at www.abg-info.de. Retrieved 27 August 2019
- ^ Hausler, Manfred (2006). "From Schongau to Saint Petersburg". The Playing-Card. 35 (2): 96–110.
- ^ "Old Bavarian pattern". International Playing-Card Society. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ "Later Tyrol pattern". International Playing-Card Society. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Bohemian Pattern at wopc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "Společnost Playing card company". hracikarty.cz. Společnost Playing card company. 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- ^ Hausler (2010), p. 117.
- ^ Württemberg pattern at the International Playing-Card Society. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ Mann, Sylvia (1990). All Cards on the Table. Leinfelden: Deutsches Spielkarten-Museum. pp. 61–114.
- ^ Würtembergisches Doppelbild at Meine Spielkarten Seite. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ Deutsche Bilder-Deutsche Farben. Prien am Chiemsee: F.X. Schmid. 1985. p. 21.
- ^ Karnöffel at BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- ^ Austrian pattern sheets at i-p-c-s.org. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ Dummett 1980, p. 6.
- ^ Tell pattern type 1 at the International Playing-Card Society. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
- ^ a b c Benő 1980.
- ^ "Doppeldeutsch: Wilhelm Tell und die Ungarn (Tell cards history)". trift.org. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Andy's Playing Cards – Shapes, Sizes and Colours". Archived from the original on 21 February 2009.
Literature
- Benő, Zsoldos (1980). A játékkártya és története [The Playing Card and its History]. Budapest: Gondolat.
- Braun, Franz (1966). Spielen und Kartenspiele [Games and Card Games]. Hanover: Schmidt-Küster.
- Dummett, Michael (1980). The Game of Tarot. London: Duckworth. ISBN 0-7156-1014-7.
- Hausler, Manfred (2010). Trommler und Pfeifer: Die Geschichte der Bayerischen Spielkarten. Munich: Volk. ISBN 978-3-937200-89-7
- Kranich, Jurgen; Radau, Sigmar; Schlede, Stefan (2009). Schwerdterkarten Band vol 1. Berlin: Studien zur Spielkarte.
- Suma, Wolfgang (August 1979). "Sachsenkarte – Schwerterkarte". The Playing-Card. Vol. 8, no. 1. pp. 1–19. ISSN 0305-2133.
- Suma, Wolfgang (August 1986). "The Oldest Pack of Leipzig Playing-Cards". The Playing-Card. Vol. 15, no. 1. pp. 19–24. ISSN 0305-2133.