How one playing card got its name from ancient Roman coins

(Ancient collectors with more experience that me... I think that's about everyone here ;-)... they're talking about the Roman "As", correct?)

<Using my best Johnny Carson voice>

"I did not know that!"

Bonus fact: In most card games, the Ace now outranks the King, and the word "ace" generally has a positive connection as a result -- it's the term used to note an unreturned serve in tennis, to heap praise on a star pitcher in baseball or a top pilot in the military, etc. But that wasn't always the case. The Ace is also the lowest card in the deck -- it's the one with only one pip. Why it's not called the "One" card is a historical relic; in early dice games, the die side with only one pip was called the Ace in likely in reference to an old Roman coin similarly worth only one unit of currency. As a result, "ace" used to have a negative connotation -- rolling the Ace on a die or pulling the Ace from a deck of cards was seen as bad luck. Card playing changed that. Per Etymology Online, "the extended senses based on 'excellence, good quality' arose in the 18th century as card-playing became popular."

- from NowIKnow.com

 

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Interesting background on the ace. I had never really thought about its origin before.

 

Hey Ace(*), interesting write up!


(*) Ancient Coin Enthusiast