Batons (card Suit) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Batons or clubs is one of the four suits of 
Symbol on Spanish pattern cards: 
Symbol on French 
File:Abastos.png,
File:Asso-Bastoni.svg,
File:Kabufuda - 01.jpg, 1
File:Kabufuda - 01 - Alternate.jpg, 1 (alt)
File:Kabufuda - 02.jpg, 2
File:Kabufuda - 03.jpg, 3
File:Kabufuda - 04.jpg, 4
File:Kabufuda - 04 - Alternate.jpg, 4 (alt)
File:Kabufuda - 05.jpg, 5
File:Kabufuda - 06.jpg, 6
File:Kabufuda - 07.jpg, 7
File:Kabufuda - 08.jpg, 8
File:Kabufuda - 09.jpg, 9
File:Kabufuda - 10.jpg, 10
Batons or clubs is one of the four suits of playing cards
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a Pap ...
in the standard Latin deck along with the suits of cups
CUPS (formerly an acronym for Common UNIX Printing System) is a modular printing system for Unix-like computer operating systems which allows a computer to act as a print server. A computer running CUPS is a host that can accept print jobs ...
, coins
A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...
and swords
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
. 'Batons' is the name usually given to the suit in Italian-suited cards where the symbols look like batons. 'Clubs' refers to the suit in Spanish-suited cards where the symbols look more like wooden clubs.
Before 1800, French cardmakers, who also made Spanish card games, called them ''cartes à bâtons''. Symbol on Italian pattern cards: Symbol on Spanish pattern cards: Symbol on French Aluette
Aluette or Vache ("Cow") is an old, plain trick-taking card game that is played on the west coast of France. It is played by two teams, usually of four people, but sometimes also of six. It is unusual in using a unique pack of 48 Spanish playing c ...
(Spanish-)pattern cards:
Characteristics
The suit of batons is believed to have derived from Chinese money-suited cards' String of cash coins suit being misinterpreted as polo-sticks by the Muslims when the cards came into contact with the Islamic world. This misinterpretation as sticks is also the case forMahjong
Mahjong (English pronunciation: ; also transliterated as mah jongg, mah-jongg, and mahjongg) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played ...
's suit of Bamboo sticks. Since polo
Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...
was an obscure sport in Europe, the sticks further developed into cudgels in Spain and batons in Italy.
The interpretation and arrangement of the pips helps to subdivide the Latin-suit systems:
* Italian-suited: Intersecting batons
* Spanish-suited: Non-intersecting cudgels (normally with exception of the Three of Clubs)
* Portuguese-suited: Intersecting cudgels
In Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
, the batons are called ''bastos''; and in Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
, ''bastoni''. In cartomancy
Cartomancy is fortune-telling or divination using a deck of cards. Forms of cartomancy appeared soon after playing cards were introduced into Europe in the 14th century.Paul Huson, Huson, Paul (2004). ''Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Anci ...
and occultist circles, the suit of batons is usually called the suit of wands
The suit of wands is one of four suits in tarot, collectively known as the Minor Arcana. Like the other tarot suits, the suit of wands contains fourteen cards: ace (one), two through ten, page and knight (sometimes referred to as princess and pr ...
.Dummett, Michael. ''A Wicked Pack of Cards: Origins of the Occult Tarot.'' Bloomsbury (1996), p. 47.
Portuguese-suited playing cards
Portuguese-suited playing cards or Portuguese-suited cards are a nearly extinct playing card suit, suit-system of playing cards that survive in a few towns in Sicily and Japan. Although not of Portugal, Portuguese origin, they were named after th ...
were traded to Japan in the mid-16th century which influenced the development of Karuta
are Culture of Japan, Japanese playing cards. Playing cards were introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders during the mid-16th century. These early decks were used for trick-taking games. The earliest indigenous ''karuta'' was invented in the ...
where the 48-card Komatsufuda, 75-card Unsun Karuta
are Japanese playing cards. Playing cards were introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders during the mid-16th century. These early decks were used for trick-taking games. The earliest indigenous ''karuta'' was invented in the town of Miike in ...
, and 40-card Kabufuda
''Kabufuda'' () are Japanese playing cards used for gambling games such as '' Oicho-Kabu'' mainly used in the Kansai region.
''Kabufuda'' cards, like the related ''hanafuda'' (), are smaller and stiffer than Western playing cards. The standard ...
decks still maintain this suit.
Gallery
Spanish pattern
The gallery below shows a suit of clubs from a Spanish-suited deck of 48 cards. The pack is of the Castilian pattern:Ace
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
File:2bastos.png, 2
File:3bastos.png, 3
File:4bastos.png, 4
File:5bastos.png, 5
File:6bastos.png, 6
File:7bastos.png, 7
File:8bastos.png, 8
File:9bastos.png, 9
File:Sbastos.png, Sota
File:Cbastos.png, Caballo
File:Rbastos.png, Rey
Italian pattern
The gallery below shows a suit of batons from an Italian-suited deck of 52 cards. The pack is of the Bresciane pattern:Ace
An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
File:02-Bastoni.svg, 2
File:03-Bastoni.svg, 3
File:04-Bastoni.svg, 4
File:05-Bastoni.svg, 5
File:06-Bastoni.svg, 6
File:07-Bastoni.svg, 7
File:08-Bastoni.svg, 8
File:09-Bastoni.svg, 9
File:10-Bastoni.svg, 10
File:Fante-Bastoni.svg, Fante
File:Cavallo-Bastoni.svg, Cavallo
File:Re-Bastoni.svg, Re
Komatsufuda pattern
The image below shows a suit of clubs from a Komatsufuda deck of 48 cards:Unsun karuta pattern
The image below shows a suit of clubs from an Unsun karuta deck of 75 cards:Kabufuda pattern
The gallery below shows a suit of clubs from a Kabufuda deck of 40 cards:See also
*Spanish playing cards
Spanish-suited playing cards or Spanish-suited cards have four suits, and a deck is usually made up of 40 or 48 cards (or even 50 by including two jokers). It is categorized as a Latin-suited deck and has strong similarities with the Portugue ...
* Italian playing cards
Playing cards (in Italian: ''carte da gioco'') have been in Italy since the late 14th century. Until the mid 19th century, Italy was composed of many smaller independent states which led to the development of various regional patterns of playing ...
* Suit of wands
The suit of wands is one of four suits in tarot, collectively known as the Minor Arcana. Like the other tarot suits, the suit of wands contains fourteen cards: ace (one), two through ten, page and knight (sometimes referred to as princess and pr ...
– suit used in divinatory tarot cards
Tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play trick-taking car ...
and tarot card readings
Notes and references
{{Playing card Card suits