Coins (suit)

The suit of Coins is one of the four card suits used in Latin-suited playing cards alongside Swords, Cups and Batons. These suits are used in Spanish, Italian and some tarot card packs. This suit has maintained its original identity from Chinese money-suited cards. Symbol on Italian pattern cards:    Symbol on Spanish pattern cards:

For other uses, see Coin (disambiguation).
The suit of Coins from an 18th-century Venetian pack.

Characteristics

In Spain, the suit of Coins is known as oros and the court cards are known as the Rey (King), Caballo (Knight or Cavalier) and Sota (Knave or Valet). The Spanish play with packs of 40 or 48 cards. There are no Tens and, in the shorter pack, the Nines and Eights are also dropped. Thus the suit of Coins ranks: R C S (9 8) 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. In Italy the suit is known as denari and the corresponding court cards are the Re, Cavallo and Fante. Either 40 or 52-card packs are used. In the shorter packs, the Tens, Nines and Eights are removed. Card ranking is thus: R C F (10 9 8) 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.[1]

The suit of coins is also one of the four suits used in those tarot packs used for cartomancy.

Individual cards
The sette bello in Scopa
  • Seven of Coins. The Seven of Coins is the most valuable individual card in Italy's national game of Scopa. Known as the sette bello ("best seven"), capturing it is one of four achievements that earns a game point.[2]

Literature
  • Parlett, David (2008). The Penguin Book of Card Games, Penguin, London. ISBN 978-0-141-03787-5


See also

Notes and references
  1. Parlett 2008, p. xv.
  2. Parlett 2008, p. 410.

Literature
  • Parlett, David (2008). The Penguin Book of Card Games, Penguin, London. ISBN 978-0-141-03787-5
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