The name Club by no means describes the clover or sorrel leaf that was the emblem adopted by Agnes Sorel, but was probably the name originally given to the Rod or caduceus of the Tarots, again showing that these cards were probably known in England before the French pips became fashionable. They may have appeared first at court, and then among the noblemen and upper classes, although it was probably a hundred years before these emblems became common, as fashions moved slowly in those days and cards were not cheaply reproduced, but for some time were expensive luxuries only to be found among the rich.
Hearts are the only pips whose emblem is correctly described by its name.
The name of Ace seems to have been derived from As or Asso, which was the unit of the Roman coinage. It is represented by a single device, placed in the centre of the card, a fashion followed in all countries.
A nickname for the Ace of Diamonds in Ireland is “the Earl of Cork.” This is explained by Mr. Taylor, who says: “It was because it is the worst Ace and the poorest card in the pack, and the Earl of Cork was the poorest nobleman.”
The Spaniards call the Ace of Money Le Borgne, or “the one-eyed.” The Trey of that suit is Le Seigneur. The Trey of Cups is named La Dame, or the Lady, and the Deuce of that suit La Vache, or the Cow. The Nines of Cups and of Money are “the great and little Nines,” while the Ace of Sticks is “the serpent.” This is the caduceus of Mercury, around which originally were wound the two heraldic snakes, which have now degenerated into two strips or ribbons.
The Aces of the Swiss pack have flags wrapped around the central pip, and those of Germany have beer mugs and kindred subjects printed on them. In European countries, cards can only be purchased from tobacconists or in beer gardens.
The Spaniards call the Two spot Dos, the Germans name it Daus, and the French and English dub it Deuce. Although it is always the lowest in the pack, since in almost all games the Aces are “high,” there is an old proverb which says, “There’s luck under the black Deuce,” and old whist players had a habit of trying to prevent the good fortune from falling to an adversary when they turned it up for trumps by saying, “Not when the right elbow is on it,” and suiting the action to the word.
In England, at one time, the Nine of Diamonds was called “the curse of Scotland,” or “the cross of Scotland,” referring to the arrangement of the pips, which, with the addition of a few connecting lines, can be made to look like the heraldic St. Andrew’s cross on the arms of Scotland. Mr. Taylor quotes on page 235 from “The Oracle or Resolver of Questions” (1770), saying “the Crown of Scotland had but nine diamonds in it, so that was the origin of the name for that card.”
An explanation is given for calling the card “a curse,” as there is a tradition that it was on this card that “the Butcher Duke of Cumberland” wrote his sanguinary order after the battle of Culloden, and yet another reason given is that, in the game called after her, the Nine of Diamonds is named Pope Joan, to whom a large forfeit must be paid. Old Chinese laquered boxes, that also contained beautifully carved mother-of-pearl counters (chips), always had several little trays in them, which obviated the necessity for spoiling a fresh pack of cards and folding them for the necessary trays. The Chinese boxes had the Kings, Queens, Knaves, and Nines of Diamonds painted on their bottom. These were placed in the centre of the table and the forfeited counters paid into them. The game called for one chip to be paid to the King, two to the Queen, three to the Knave, and four to Pope Joan (the Nine of Diamonds), causing this card to be disliked by players, who considered it “a curse.”
We call the Three spot a Trey, which name is probably derived from the Spanish Tres or the French Trois.