Batons (suit)

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

Batons or clubs is one of the four suits of playing cards in the standard Latin deck along with the suits of cups, coins and swords. 'Batons' is the name usually given to the suit in Italian-suited cards where the symbols look like batons. 'Clubs' refers to the suit in Spanish-suited cards where the symbols look more like wooden clubs.

Before 1800, French cardmakers, who also made Spanish card games, called them cartes à bâtons. Symbol on Italian pattern cards:    Symbol on Spanish pattern cards: Symbol on French Aluette (Spanish-)pattern cards:

Characteristics

In Spanish, the batons are called bastos; and in Italian, bastoni. In cartomancy and occultist circles, the suit of batons is usually called the suit of wands.

See also

• Spanish playing cards
• Italian playing cards
• Suit of wands – suit used in divinatory tarot cards and tarot card readings