Naipes Inca by C. Della Penna & Cía, Buenos Aires, c.1930
The edition on this page shows the company name as C. Della Penna & Cía, along with an early version of the company logo in black & white only. In later editions it is coloured.
Naipes INCA Spanish-suited playing cards manufactured by C. Della Penna & Cía, playing card manufacturer and publisher, Buenos Aires, c.1930-40
Naipes Inca was one of Della Penna's leading brands of Spanish-suited playing cards, and was produced in successive editions until the company was taken over in 1978. The edition on this page shows the company name as C. Della Penna & Cía, along with an early version of the company logo in black & white only. In later editions it is coloured. The court cards and most of the numeral cards are based on the Spanish Catalan designs which had been used earlier by Francisco Girbau and were also copied by Cappellano, Fourvel and Justo Rodero. As a result of their widespread acceptance they have become known as "The South American Spanish Pattern".
Above: cards from an early edition of Naipes Inca, manufactured by
C. Della Penna & Cía in c.1935. The ace of coins is of Cádiz style,
but the courts are Catalan style. Although the ace of coins would be re-designed
in subsequent editions, these Catalan-style court designs were used throughout the
duration of the company's playing card production, albeit with some variations in
colouring or simplifications in the details. They were also adopted by several
other manufacturers. An anonymous miniature version was also printed showing the
same ace of coins design, which may have been printed by Della Penna for a third party.
Left: this version of the "Mercury" tax stamp from the four of cups suggests a date somewhere between 1922 to 1940s, but without any further clues from wrappers or regarding the company's history we cannot narrow this down any more.
By Simon Wintle
Spain • Member since February 01, 1996 • Contact
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
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