1588 - german renaissance playing cards:: These lovely playing cards are some of the oldest still in existence today. Playing cards were brought over to Europe from the East, likely from Egypt. Like chess, playing cards were originally an all-male domain, which reflected the patriarchal societies from where they originated. Queens did not exist and jacks (as well as bishops and rooks in chess) were actually represented as male soldiers or advisors to the king. The "second in command" was a cavalier (or horseman, similar to a chess' knight) and the third ranking card was a foot solider, or knave. While all the court cards were male, they were easily distinguished by the king's crown, the mounted cavalier and the uncrowned, un-mounted knave. Occasionally, decks had female characters representing the number ten card, as this deck does.

This deck is also unique because the suits (books, vases, cups and pincushions) are so different from any of the usual suits we know in European countries. In England and France, the suits became standardized as spades, hearts, diamond and clubs, but southern countries like Italy and Spain used swords, cups, coins and clubs, or batons, while Germanic countries used acorns, bells, leaves (or shields) and hearts (or roses).

1815 - mythology deck from spain:: These truly unique cards are special for a variety of reasons. Firstly, there are only twelve cards per suit, unlike the usual thirteen, which means that a different set of rules or games must have existed for these cards, although 48-card decks with only two court cards date back from the 12th century in Persia and India, suggesting the origins of at least this Spanish deck came from these regions.

The king ranks highest with a value of twelve, the cavalier is ranked eleven and a female figure is represented on the number ten cards. From Spain, these cards do follow their traditional suits of swords, cups, coins and clubs, but the cards are all based on mythological characters; the cavaliers are Mars, Bacchus(?), Apollo(?) and a centaur. They are remarkable for their beauty and detail.