Published January 14, 2012 • Updated July 15, 2022

Gráfica 2001

Gráfica 2001 (Naipes ‘La Española’), successors to Naipes Vigor founded in 1945.

Naipes ‘La Española’ successors to Naipes Vigor operating since 1945

Naipes La Española - Gráfica 2001 is owned today by the original Naipes Vigor founder's son. Located in the district of San Martín, Buenos Aires, it is now one of Argentina's leading playing card manufacturers, exporting to several other South American countries. They also hold the licence for Cromy card games.

Updated versions of original brands (La Española, Barcelonesa, Fantasio) are still being produced. Both classic Spanish-suited packs (‘Español Classic’ and ‘Barcelonesa’) and digitally re-drawn designs (‘La Española 2000’), as well as ‘Naipes El Taita’, ‘Naipes Fantasio’, ‘Naipes Aparcero’, ‘La Italiana’ (an Italian-style pack based on the Napolitan pattern) and other games are all available in several sizes (standard, round, small and pocket sizes), printed on single-thickness or three-ply card and finished with ultra-violet, silicone-based varnish on both sides for perfect sliding. Plastic or cardboard cases see more →

four cards from ‘La Española Classic’ deck with Spanish-suited courts

Above: four cards from ‘La Española Classic’ deck with traditional Spanish-suited designs. This is one of the four Spanish-suited styles available from Gráfica 2001 and is often found with advertising. It is found in 40 or 50-card versions, and can also form the basis of special decks with custom artwork →

Above: four cards from ‘La Española 2000’ deck with digitally re-drawn Spanish-suited courts and jumbo indexes. This is one of the four Spanish-suited styles available from Gráfica 2001 and is often found with advertising reverses. It can also form the basis of non-standard decks with customised artwork →

Naipes de Truco manufactured by Gráfica 2001 for Editorial Perfil, Buenos Aires, 1999

Above: Naipes de Truco for Editorial Perfil, Buenos Aires, 1999. An early example of a digitally-designed pack.

box from special pack manufactured by Gráfica 2001 for Fastener S.R.L., Buenos Aires

Above: Naipes Fastener, a non-standard deck manufactured by Gráfica 2001 for Fastener S.R.L.

box from special pack manufactured by Gráfica 2001 for Cilbrás high-pressure cylinders, Buenos Aires

Above: Naipes Cilbrás, a non-standard deck for Cilbrás high-pressure cylinders.

Above: four cards from Naipes 'Aparcero' depicting indigenous tribes, printed by Gráfica 2001 and published by Obsequios Empresarios Argentinos as part of a range of attractive promotional gifts more →

Above: Naipes Argentinos Patagonia made by Gráfica 2001, c.2000 more →

four cards from ‘La Italiana’ deck based on Italian Napolitan pattern

Above: four cards from ‘La Italiana’ deck manufactured by Gráfica 2001 based on Italian Napolitan pattern.

Above: Bingo playing cards for Grupo AGG, Bs Aires, 2007

Above: Old Smuggler Whisky playing cards

Above: special promotion deck for Globalstar Satellite Systems.

Above: non-standard advertising deck for Blenders Whisky, 2010. 52 cards + 2 jokers in box. The four aces feature bottles of whisky, the courts and jokers just have the title "Blenders Whisky Añejo" with no images.

By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

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Curator 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.

Gráfica 2001

Naipes ‘La Española’ successors to Naipes Vigor operating since 1945

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