The North-German pattern was created in Stralsund from a Hamburg derivative. Organized gambling on a larger scale and sanctioned by governments and other authorities in order to raise money began in the 15th century with lotteries—and centuries earlier in China with keno. One early French deck even had crescents instead of Diamonds. These graphic symbols, or “pips,” bear little resemblance to the items they supposedly represent, but they were much easier to copy and print than more lavishly draw...