Il Quinto Seme

One tends to think of five-suit packs as coming mainly from the USA and Great Britain. However, five-suit packs have been produced elsewhere, including this one from Italy. The fifth suit is called “amici” (“friends”) and is bicoloured (red and black combined). The name “amici” was chosen because a card of the “amici” suit can sometimes act like a Joker and can be a substitute for another card, thus lending a hand in the way a true friend (or “amico”) would do. To give unity to the court cards, the standard English pattern courts have been redesigned, with the courts of the “amici” suit being in a similar style and in a similar range of colours. The extensive booklet in Italian contains the rules for 16 different card games... more►

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Above: “Il Quinto Seme” five-suit playing cards made by Modiano, Trieste, Italy, 1977. 65 cards + 3 Jokers + 2 score cards + booklet of rules, in tuck box. Size: 63 x 88 mm.