Curse of Scotland Curse of Scotland The Curse of Scotland is a nickname used for the Nine of Diamonds playing card. The expression has been used at least since the early 18th century, and many putative explanations have been given for the origin of this nickname for the card. In a book printed in London in 1708, "The British Apollo, or, Curious amusements for the ingenious", a question is posed: Q. "Why is the" Nine of Diamonds "called" the curse of Scotland? A. Diamonds as the Ornamental Jewels of a Regnal Crown, imply no more in the above-nam'd Proverb than a mark of
International Playing-Card Society of standard playing-card design. The IPCS was founded in 1972, as "The Playing-Card Society", with a journal titled "The Journal of the Playing-Card Society". In May 1980 the names of the society and the journal were changed, becoming "The International Playing-Card Society" and "The Playing-Card". A newsletter, which became known as "Playing-Card World", was formerly published as a supplement to the journal, running for 80 issues from 1975 to 1995. Notable members of the Society are or have included: International Playing-Card Society The International Playing-Card Society (IPCS) is a non-profit organisation for those interested in playing cards, their design, and