hist-games: Period Playing cards

[Jane & Mark Waks]

Thierry Depaulis wrote:
> If by "medieval" you mean something before 1450, forget it! There are four
> or five packs *only* that can be dated to this period. And none has any
> picture on the net.
> Playing cards arrived in Europe not earlier than 1350/60 (this we know from
> written records), and no actual card is known to date before c.1430.
> Thierry Depaulis

Interesting; I've generally heard the 1370's cited as the time that
cards probably hit Europe. Are there references from the 50's or 60's,
or is that just a conservative "not before"?

				-- Justin
				   Who hasn't looked into this deeply, but
				     it is enough of a FAQ that it would be
				     useful to know the current-best dates...

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