Bicycle - 150 Years and Counting
What don't I love about playing cards ... Nothing! They are colorful, have a great texture and can provide hours of fun. The deck of 52 playing cards is the most common deck of playing cards used today. It includes thirteen cards of each of the four suits used today: clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades, with reversible "court" or face cards.
Playing card factoids:
It is estimated that as of 2007 there were approximately 871 card games in existence, although that number is hard to confirm because new games are being invented all the time.
It has been shown that because of the large number of possibilities from shuffling a 52 card deck, it is probable that no two card shuffles have ever been exactly alike.
The history of playing cards is debatable. Some historians say playing cards were developed in India and derived from the game of chess. Others say that they were developed as implements for magic and fortune telling in Egypt. The first written record of the use of playing cards is from the Orient.
To learn more about the history of playing cards and more, check this out:
Bicycle was not the only brand of cards manufactured by the United States playing company. Others are Bee and Tally-Ho. Another brand not developed but closely related to the United States playing company was Cardamundi, a Belgian brand.
