“Naipes Gauchescos Argentinos” with re-styled Spanish suit-symbols reflecting Argentinean national culture. The cards show colour photographs of aspects of traditional Argentinean Gaucho life, centred around horse riding. The legend ‘Patacón’ on the ace of coins refers to a former Argentine national currency which had been used in various places as a variant name for the Peso.



Above: “Naipes Gauchescos Argentinos”, 2004. 40 cards in box►
NOTE: The "coin" shown for the "patacón" is actually a 1 or 2 centavos coin of 1889 (copper or bronze, not silver!), and the “O” of the word “PATACON” contains the coat-of-arms. (The Patacón series was made 1881-1883, but there were trials and patterns dated 1879 & 1880. Courtesy Ron Haller-Williams.

By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
View ArticlesCurator and editor of the World of Playing Cards since 1996. He is a former committee member of the IPCS and was graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal for many years. He has lived at various times in Chile, England and Wales and is currently living in Extremadura, Spain. Simon's first limited edition pack of playing cards was a replica of a seventeenth century traditional English pack, which he produced from woodblocks and stencils.