Story Behind Standard Courts

[Magic Tapp]

When I was showing some of the decks in my collection to friends, they asked whether I can tell them the story behind the way standard courts are depicted. To my shame, the only story I know is about KoH (aka the Suicide King) but the rest is a complete mystery to me. Why some of them look straight while others look to left and right, why some of them have daggers, swords and lances, etc.

I know that there is an ongoing discussion about this in the Montenzi new deck thread but does anyone know of a decent source that could cast a light on this?

[Bradius]

52+Joker group I think has a lot of information on this as they are more of a group that collects historical playing cards. Check out Jock1971's long thread showing off some of his incredible collection. Also some thread on Davidson's History decks. Ender's Game may have also discussed it, and probably did again on reviewing Rick Davidson's decks. I encourage you to practice searching this website, you can find a lot of interesting things.

I am running through old discussion threads and came across this. I haven't listened to the video myself.

viewtopic.php?f=81&t=8244&p=98289&hilit ... rds#p98289

Here is another:

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=4010&p=35864&hilit ... rds#p35864

Another area of the forums to check out:

viewforum.php?f=74

Of course, the old stand in: Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_playing_cards

[Magic Tapp]

52+Joker group I think has a lot of information on this as they are more of a group that collects historical playing cards. Check out Jock1971's long thread showing off some of his incredible collection. Also some thread on Davidson's History decks. Ender's Game may have also discussed it, and probably did again on reviewing Rick Davidson's decks. I encourage you to practice searching this website, you can find a lot of interesting things.

I am running through old discussion threads and came across this. I haven't listened to the video myself.

viewtopic.php?f=81&t=8244&p=98289&hilit ... rds#p98289

Here is another:

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=4010&p=35864&hilit ... rds#p35864

Another area of the forums to check out:

viewforum.php?f=74

Of course, the old stand in: Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_playing_cards

Thanks Bradius - as always, you are being most helpful.

[shimmering]

To see some pictures of the French cards that the English pattern evolved from, look at this WOPC page here (note most of the pics of cards are reconstructions, and two of the original jacks from the Marechal cards are missing so in these cases the jacks for the reconstructions are taken from elsewhere):
http://www.wopc.co.uk/france/pierre-marechal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

More about this also from WOPC:
http://www.wopc.co.uk/cards/early-anglo-french-cards" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sets of early English court cards from England (from WOPC):
http://www.wopc.co.uk/cards/blanchard" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.wopc.co.uk/uk/hunt/index" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you look at this page from Ken Lodge's blog on the evolution of De La Rue designs, you can work out how the various elements in the one-way courts ended up in the two way courts. It is not always that obvious (Note the top set of pictures on this page D1 are hardly standard, highly custom. The D2 and D3 designs are more relevant).
http://www.wopc.co.uk/blogs/kenlodge/de-la-rue" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I already posted yesterday in the thread you mention about "turning" courts and the directions they are looking in. You can see from the pictures on those pages: all the early court cards are unturned. Some of the later De La Rue cards are turned but the early ones are not.

I think someone else posted in another thread within the past week something about the suicide king and an axe evolving into a sword over time. I think in the thread about the back-to-front cards ... Anonym. But this is true. You will see other similar evolutions: in some cases the flowers held by queens in French cards clearly have evolved from the degradation of depictions of sceptres. But of course in the case of the Marechal (Rouen) cards, they are definitely flowers at that stage.

[Magic Tapp]

To see some pictures of the French cards that the English pattern evolved from, look at this WOPC page here (note most of the pics of cards are reconstructions, and two of the original jacks from the Marechal cards are missing so in these cases the jacks for the reconstructions are taken from elsewhere):
http://www.wopc.co.uk/france/pierre-marechal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

More about this also from WOPC:
http://www.wopc.co.uk/cards/early-anglo-french-cards" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sets of early English court cards from England (from WOPC):
http://www.wopc.co.uk/cards/blanchard" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.wopc.co.uk/uk/hunt/index" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you look at this page from Ken Lodge's blog on the evolution of De La Rue designs, you can work out how the various elements in the one-way courts ended up in the two way courts. It is not always that obvious (Note the top set of pictures on this page D1 are hardly standard, highly custom. The D2 and D3 designs are more relevant).
http://www.wopc.co.uk/blogs/kenlodge/de-la-rue" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I already posted yesterday in the thread you mention about "turning" courts and the directions they are looking in. You can see from the pictures on those pages: all the early court cards are unturned. Some of the later De La Rue cards are turned but the early ones are not.

I think someone else posted in another thread within the past week something about the suicide king and an axe evolving into a sword over time. I think in the thread about the back-to-front cards ... Anonym. But this is true. You will see other similar evolutions: in some cases the flowers held by queens in French cards clearly have evolved from the degradation of depictions of sceptres. But of course in the case of the Marechal (Rouen) cards, they are definitely flowers at that stage.

Thanks Shimmering - would have a look, should be some interesting reading for the weekend...