Bells (card suit)

Example of Bell cards

Bells are a suit in playing cards of the German-suited cards. They correspond to Diamonds in a French deck. The suit is usually known in German as Schellen, but is sometimes abbreviated to Schell. Cards are referred to as in a French deck e.g. the "9 of Bells", but in German as "Schellen 9".

The origin of the bell symbol is the suit of Coins in Latin suited cards.^[1]

Bells are the lowest suit in Skat, Schafkopf and Doppelkopf, but the second highest in Préférence.

The 7 of Bells (Schellen 7) or, in South Tyrol the 6 of Bells (Belle, Weli) is the second highest trump card in the game of Watten.

The gallery below shows a suit of Bells from a German suited deck of 32 cards, plus the Weli or 6 of Bells which is used in some games as an 'honour' card. The main deck is of the Saxonian pattern:

• 
  6 (Weli)
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10
• 
  Unter
• 
  Ober
• 
  King
• 
  Deuce

References