A reference to a “leaf game” that royalty would play is made in the 868 CE text the “Collection of Miscellanea” by Su E.
The first cards were likely invented during the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 CE) with the invention of paper and woodblock printing. These makeshift “cards,” engraved using fire and knives, were also used for money, gambling, and religious rituals. The First Playing Cardsīefore the advent of cards, games were played with sticks, bones, or stones. So, as we ring in the New Year, here’s a brief history behind the meaning of playing cards in relation to the calendar year. For one, playing cards link directly to the Gregorian calendar and the seasons. But the history of playing cards, what little known there is, has drawn from its own sources of wonder as the design evolved over millennia. From sleight of hand magician Cardini to cardistry expert Oliver Sogard, artists have spent the past century imbuing playing cards with their own mystic qualities.
