Batons (suit)

Before 1800, French cardmakers, who also made Spanish card games, called them cartes à bâtons.

Since polo was an obscure sport in Europe, the sticks further developed into cudgels in Spain and batons in Italy.

The interpretation and arrangement of the pips helps to subdivide the Latin-suit systems: In Spanish, the batons are called bastos; and in Italian, bastoni.

The pack is of the Castilian pattern: The gallery below shows a suit of batons from an Italian-suited deck of 52 cards.

The pack is of the Bresciane pattern: The image below shows a suit of clubs from a Komatsufuda deck of 48 cards: The image below shows a suit of clubs from an Unsun karuta deck of 75 cards: The gallery below shows a suit of clubs from a Kabufuda deck of 40 cards:

Suit of batons from an 18th-century Venetian card game.