Acorns (suit)

Acorns
Symbol from Bavarian pattern
Native name	German: Eichel
Decks	German-suited playing cards Swiss-suited playing cards
Invented	15th century

Acorns () (German: German: Eichel, or more unusually Hackl or Ecker) is one of the four playing card suits in a deck of German-suited and Swiss-suited playing cards. This suit was invented in 15th-century German-speaking lands and is a survivor from a large pool of experimental suit signs created to replace the Latin suits. Around 1480, French card makers adapted this sign into clubs in a French deck (known as clovers in France).^[1]

In English, cards are referred to as in a French deck (e.g. the "10 of Acorns"), but in German as Eichel-Zehn.

Acorns are the highest suit in the games of Skat, Schafkopf and Doppelkopf, but the lowest in Préférence. In Watten, the 7 of Acorns (the Spitz or Soach) is the third highest trump card.

The standard German-suited system of leaves, acorns, hearts, and bells appears in the majority of cards from 1460 onwards. There is no evidence for this system prior to this point.^[1]

Acorns appear as one of four suits alongside crowns, bells, and shields in a set of mutilated cards possibly made in Alsace in 1480.^[1]

Acorns appear as one of four suits alongside pomegranates^[a], leaves, and flowers in a pack of cards (circa 1523) created by Hans Sebald Beham. The ranks go from 2 through 10 with three court cards: King seated on a horse, Ober, and Unter. Roman numerals are indexed at the top of the cards while Arabic numerals are indexed at the bottom.^[3] Notably, all the pip cards have a central stem and there is a sow on the three of acorns; which later would migrate to the deuce when the 3-rank was dropped in later packs.

The standard four Swiss-German suits of shields, acorns, hawkbells, and flowers were found in playing cards inside a book cover (circa 1530) made in Basel. These cards feature the distinguishing banner replacing the 10-rank, and have the three court cards: King seated in a throne, Ober, and Unter.^[4] This Swiss-German suit system is believed to have developed earlier with the earliest example dated between 1433 and 1451, though only cards from the shields suit survived.^[5]

The gallery below shows a suit of Acorns from a German-suited deck of 32 cards. The pack is of the Saxonian pattern in which the seeds of the Acorns are red:

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  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10
• 
  Unter
• 
  Ober
• 
  King
• 
  Deuce or Ace

The following images depict the suit of Acorns from an 1850 Swiss-suited pack in which the seeds of the Acorns are yellow:

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  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  Banner
• 
  Unter
• 
  Ober
• 
  King
• 
  Deuce

The following cards have special powers or names in certain games:

• Ober of Acorns - permanent top trump in Schafkopf, where it is known as the Old Man (der Alte)
• Unter of Acorns - permanent trump in Schafkopf and top trump in Skat.
• Seven of Acorns - one of the top three trumps in games like Watten, where it is called the Spitz ("tip" or "point")

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