What Are Pips? The Fascinating Story Behind Playing Card Symbols

My first collection of 2025 is a series of assemblage artworks featuring four symbols we all recognise – the suits from a deck of playing cards. These, along with markings on dice and dominoes, are known as ‘pips’ – small symbols or marks that represent a number or value. I had no idea they were called pips, and as a Pip myself, it felt like a sign to explore their history further.

The Evolution and Adaptation of Pips

Playing cards are believed to have originated in China as early as 100 AD, where they were narrow slips of paper, more like modern-day dominoes. By the 13th century, they had spread to the Middle East, evolving into a format more similar to today’s 52-card deck, complete with four suits, ten number cards, and four court cards. However, the suits at that time—cups, swords, coins, and polo sticks—were thought to represent key officers in the Sultan’s court: cupbearer, sword bearer, treasurer and polo master.

When playing cards arrived in Europe around 1350, they were a luxury item, hand-painted by skilled artisans and reserved for the nobility who could afford them. The suits were adapted to reflect the structure of medieval society—cups (modern hearts) were associated with the clergy, swords (spades) with the nobility or military, coins (diamonds) with merchants, and batons (clubs) with peasants.

I found it fascinating that different cultures developed their own unique versions of playing card suits, tailoring them to reflect their societies. For example, in Germany, an entirely different set of symbols emerged: acorns (Eichel), leaves (Blatt), hearts (Herz), and bells (Schellen). As you can see in this diagram, many other countries also adapted the ‘pips’ to suit their own traditions. 

Mass Production and Printing Quirks

As playing cards grew in popularity, they began to be mass-produced. This led to design simplifications, often using just two colours – black and red – for ease of printing. It also resulted in some interesting quirks: one of the most famous is the king of hearts, the only king without a moustache, who appears to be stabbing himself through the head with a sword. The real explanation is far less dramatic. Over time, as printing blocks wore out and were replaced, card makers copied from older decks, unintentionally distorting details. The missing part of the king’s sword was simply an accident of reproduction that stuck.

Another lasting change came in 1765, when England introduced a tax on playing cards. To prove the tax had been paid, the ace of spades was stamped with an official mark. Forging this stamp was a serious crime – punishable by death. This is why, even today, the ace of spades is often given a distinctive design, standing out from the rest of the deck.

Because playing cards were valuable and heavily taxed, people often repurposed them as invitations, tickets, obituary notices, wedding announcements, music sheets, receipts, or personal messages between loved ones. Over time, these simple objects became historical artefacts, offering collectors and historians a unique glimpse into the past. From now on, I’ll be checking the backs of old playing cards – who knows, maybe one day I’ll discover a hidden message!

Researching pips has opened the door to an entire world of playing card history, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. There’s so much more to uncover, not just from historical texts but from the cards themselves. Along the way, I’ve found some fascinating examples of pips as the starting point for creative design – here are a few of my favourites.

Image 1: Paris pattern, single-ended, c 1800 (Danish, reproduction deck, 1976)

Image 2: Paris pattern, double-ended, 1806 (from D' Allemagne, Antique Playing Cards)

Image 3: Jack of clubs, early 17th century

Image 4: Deetjen, Germany, c1800

Image 5: Cowell Metastasis transformation, c1814

Image 6: Double-headed courts by Russell & Morgan, Cincinnati, 1885

Image 7: German deck, Nüremberg, 1813

References:

The Atlantic, The Lost Origins of Playing-Card Symbols By Adrienne Bernhard (LINK)

The International Playing-Cards Society (IPCS) – online history

Playing Cards – Wikipedia