<p>No, there's no easy way to hold the cards so that the cards are identifiable without adjusting them to look at each one's full face.</p>
<p>The solution to that problem was the &quot;major innovation&quot; that led to patents being granted for the corner emblem (indicating the absence of a practical way of holding and viewing the cards prior to that innovation). <a href="https://www.wopc.co.uk/cards/corner-indices" rel="noreferrer">Source.</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>A patent was issued on February 9, 1864 to Cyrus W. Saladee of
Paducah, Kentucky, under patent number 41,587. It is believed to be
the first American deck with corner indices.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My invention consists in combining a number or letter with an emblem -
such as a heart, spade, club or diamond - so that upon seeing the
emblem, which may be in a corner, the denomination of the card is at
once understood.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This idea revolutionized American card manufacture by enabling players
to fan the cards to view only the corner of each card, sufficient to
see the indices. This was soon followed by Andrew Dougherty’s patent
for “Triplicates” and other novel systems of index types which were
adopted by other manufacturers until, over time, they became the new
norm.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-13T22:59:16.460Z
You could almost hold them in a line with the top peeking out, except for the 5&6 of row 1 and the 4&5 of row 2 (and *maybe* the King of row 3&4 [hard to see]).  +1 from me.
joedragons
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-31T16:45:43.960Z
2022-12-31T16:45:43.960Z
L. Scott Johnson
<p>These cards are tall and narrow at 103 mm by 51 mm (4 in by 2 in). So holding them in one hand can be a little awkward. The 40 card deck in the question is a Primiera Bolognese pattern. <a href="https://altacarta.com/trade/latin004.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Alta Carta labels them as L0061</a> and notes:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This pattern will soon vanish. There is only one manufacturer left that prints such cards. This does not surprise me, because these cards appear very inconvenient to play with.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The book &quot;On Games of Chance&quot; by Girolamo Cardano described <a href="https://isenfir.atlantia.sca.org/rmi/primero.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Primero</a> with a hand size of four cards:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Two cards are dealt each player<br />
...<br />
After the first round of betting, two more cards are dealt to each player</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Corner and edge indices (see history below) enabled using only one hand. I printed some replica cards and held 5 in a hand with relative ease:
<img src="https://i.sstatic.net/xgCz6.jpg" width="300" alt="corner fan"></p>
<h2>History of the indices we use today</h2>
<p>The New York Consolidated Card Company began printing cards in 1832. Their patented design in 1875 is <a href="https://playingcarddecks.com/blogs/all-in/history-playing-cards-modern-deck" rel="nofollow noreferrer">credited with popularizing corner markings</a> to allow fanning your cards for better visualization.</p>
<p>It was not uncommon to hold your <a href="https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/%7Erwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/p/Playing_card.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">hand of 4 or 5 cards in two hands</a> at the time:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Corner and edge indices enabled people to hold their cards close together in a fan with one hand (<em>instead of the two hands previously used</em>). [emphasis added]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>They were originally called &quot;squeezers&quot; and not well received by customers, but are now referred to as &quot;indices&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-12T14:32:25.703Z
FWIW, you show only five cards in your hand (e.g., a poker hand), while OP shows 13 (e.g., a bridge hand). It would be intractable to fan thirteen cards in the fashion you show for five.
L. Scott Johnson
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-12T16:25:55.937Z
@L.ScottJohnson The cards in the OP photo are Primiera Bolognese cards. In some games you have 4 cards, not 13. It was also often held in two hands, not one. Every version of bridge (Biritch, Eralash, Vint, Whist) that I could research used 52 cards. The OP deck is 40 cards, so holding more than 5 cards in hand wasn't a way these cards were used. Should I change my answer to ignore the photo the OP used?
James Risner
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-29T16:55:32.920Z
2023-01-13T02:09:55.150Z
2023-01-13T02:09:55.150Z
James Risner
<p>I've played several games using Sicilian cards that are the same style of deck.  You can reasonably hold 4 or 5 cards in one hand and still see them.  You only need 30% - 50% of a card to be visible once your familiar with the deck (you can see the suit and enough of the picture to tell the value).  Holding the cards aligned flat in your hand rather than fanning them at angles also helps.  If you need to hold more than five cards, you can put some of your cards facedown on the table, or use your other hand.</p>
<p>You could also use wooden stands like the following:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/nJnLW.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/nJnLW.png" alt="Wooden Card Stand" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-13T18:49:53.917Z
2023-01-14T02:52:37.683Z
2023-01-14T02:52:37.683Z
Zags
<p>Old decks of playing cards often don't have corner indicators for suit and number, and it seems hard (at least to a novice) to determine what each card is without seeing it in full. For instance:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/AGyAv.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/AGyAv.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>This is an Italian deck, but other old ones I see are similar. I normally hold cards more or less like this, with only the corner digit and suit visible:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/dWOvh.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/dWOvh.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>This does not seem possible with old cards. Were there any techniques for holding a hand in such a deck such that the cards are easily identifiable?</p>

<playing-cards>
What is a technique to hold old playing cards with no corner indicators?
zale
# What is a technique to hold old playing cards with no corner indicators?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-08-14)

Old decks of playing cards often don't have corner indicators for suit and number, and it seems hard (at least to a novice) to determine what each card is without seeing it in full. For instance:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/AGyAv.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/AGyAv.png)

This is an Italian deck, but other old ones I see are similar. I normally hold cards more or less like this, with only the corner digit and suit visible:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/dWOvh.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/dWOvh.jpg)

This does not seem possible with old cards. Were there any techniques for holding a hand in such a deck such that the cards are easily identifiable?

**Tags:** playing-cards


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-12-31. Score: 5

No, there's no easy way to hold the cards so that the cards are identifiable without adjusting them to look at each one's full face.

The solution to that problem was the "major innovation" that led to patents being granted for the corner emblem (indicating the absence of a practical way of holding and viewing the cards prior to that innovation). [Source.](https://www.wopc.co.uk/cards/corner-indices)

> A patent was issued on February 9, 1864 to Cyrus W. Saladee of
> Paducah, Kentucky, under patent number 41,587. It is believed to be
> the first American deck with corner indices.
>
> > My invention consists in combining a number or letter with an emblem -
> > such as a heart, spade, club or diamond - so that upon seeing the
> > emblem, which may be in a corner, the denomination of the card is at
> > once understood.
>
> This idea revolutionized American card manufacture by enabling players
> to fan the cards to view only the corner of each card, sufficient to
> see the indices. This was soon followed by Andrew Dougherty’s patent
> for “Triplicates” and other novel systems of index types which were
> adopted by other manufacturers until, over time, they became the new
> norm.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: You could almost hold them in a line with the top peeking out, except for the 5&6 of row 1 and the 4&5 of row 2 (and *maybe* the King of row 3&4 [hard to see]).  +1 from me.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-12-29. Score: 3

These cards are tall and narrow at 103 mm by 51 mm (4 in by 2 in). So holding them in one hand can be a little awkward. The 40 card deck in the question is a Primiera Bolognese pattern. [Alta Carta labels them as L0061](https://altacarta.com/trade/latin004.html) and notes:

> This pattern will soon vanish. There is only one manufacturer left that prints such cards. This does not surprise me, because these cards appear very inconvenient to play with.

The book "On Games of Chance" by Girolamo Cardano described [Primero](https://isenfir.atlantia.sca.org/rmi/primero.php) with a hand size of four cards:

> Two cards are dealt each player  
> ...  
> After the first round of betting, two more cards are dealt to each player

Corner and edge indices (see history below) enabled using only one hand. I printed some replica cards and held 5 in a hand with relative ease:
![corner fan](https://i.sstatic.net/xgCz6.jpg)

## History of the indices we use today

The New York Consolidated Card Company began printing cards in 1832. Their patented design in 1875 is [credited with popularizing corner markings](https://playingcarddecks.com/blogs/all-in/history-playing-cards-modern-deck) to allow fanning your cards for better visualization.

It was not uncommon to hold your [hand of 4 or 5 cards in two hands](https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/%7Erwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/p/Playing_card.htm) at the time:

> Corner and edge indices enabled people to hold their cards close together in a fan with one hand (*instead of the two hands previously used*). [emphasis added]

They were originally called "squeezers" and not well received by customers, but are now referred to as "indices".

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: FWIW, you show only five cards in your hand (e.g., a poker hand), while OP shows 13 (e.g., a bridge hand). It would be intractable to fan thirteen cards in the fashion you show for five.  
> **username_3**: @L.ScottJohnson The cards in the OP photo are Primiera Bolognese cards. In some games you have 4 cards, not 13. It was also often held in two hands, not one. Every version of bridge (Biritch, Eralash, Vint, Whist) that I could research used 52 cards. The OP deck is 40 cards, so holding more than 5 cards in hand wasn't a way these cards were used. Should I change my answer to ignore the photo the OP used?  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2023-01-13. Score: 2

I've played several games using Sicilian cards that are the same style of deck. You can reasonably hold 4 or 5 cards in one hand and still see them. You only need 30% - 50% of a card to be visible once your familiar with the deck (you can see the suit and enough of the picture to tell the value). Holding the cards aligned flat in your hand rather than fanning them at angles also helps. If you need to hold more than five cards, you can put some of your cards facedown on the table, or use your other hand.

You could also use wooden stands like the following:

[![Wooden Card Stand](https://i.sstatic.net/nJnLW.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/nJnLW.png)


---

