Anonymous Mexican Manufacturers

Anonymous Mexican Playing Card Manufacturers

A number of anonymous manufacturers produce playing cards in or for Mexico, either as a one-off edition or during a limited time period. Details of the manufacturer are omitted from these cards, possibly as a precaution against copyright litigation in cases where the designs are not original. This page illustrates a number of such packs where no manufacturer's details are available.   (Click images to see more cards)

As Vencedores

Above: anonymous Mexican playing cards titled “As Vencedores”.

Club Deportivo Guadalajara, A.C.

Above: standard 'Castilian'-style Spanish-suited playing cards produced by an anonymous manufacturer for Club Deportivo Guadalajara, A.C. The designs appear to be copied from those of Productos Leo S.A. but there is no mention on any card where or by whom the cards were produced. The designs are more or less copied from Clemente Jacques 'Gallo' and deck is of acceptable overall quality. The Ace of Coins has the legends 'Rigido Naipe Dorado' and 'Naipe Luxe'.

Naipes ‘El Rey’

Above: Naipes ‘El Rey’ by an anonymous manufacturer (possibly Migasa), c.1985. 40 cards, printed on low grade cardboard with nearly square corners. The designs are copied from Fournier's 'Castilian' pattern, as are a large number of Mexican decks. All the Coins suit symbols have the legend ‘Solo Calidad’. The Fours of Coins and Cups have the legends ‘Naipes El Rey’ and ‘Made in Mexico’.

Naipes ‘IV Ases’

Above: Naipe ‘IV Ases’ by an anonymous manufacturer, c.1995. 40 cards, square corners, plain unprinted backs.  (Click image to see more cards). The designs are copied from Fournier's 'Castilian' pattern and are virtually identical to the above example Naipes ‘El Rey’. The Coins suit symbols have the legend ‘Solo Calidad’ printed round the edge. The Four of Coins has an extra uncoloured coin as a logo in the centre of the card and the Four of Cups has the legend ‘Made in Mexico’. There are no further details of the manufacturer printed on the cards.

Naipes ‘El Rey’

Above: Naipes 'El Rey' by an anonymous manufacturer, 40 cards, translucent card, c.2000. There had been an earlier edition of this pack with the name ‘Naipes Monarca’ in the 1980s. There are no further details of the manufacturer printed anywhere on the cards.

‘Naipe Real’

Above: 'Naipe Real' by an anonymous Mexican manufacturer, 40 cards, c.1985. The designs are reminiscent of Clemente Jacques 'Gallo'. The helmet on the medallion on the Ace of Coins has a swan motif as part of the design. There had been an alternative edition of this pack with the name ‘Naipe IV Reyes’ in the 1980s with yellow backgrounds instead of grey. Apart from the 'Naipe Real' logo on the Fours of Coins and Cups, there are no further details of the manufacturer printed anywhere on the cards.

Baraja ‘El Halcon’

Above: Baraja ‘El Halcon’ by an anonymous manufacturer, c.2000.  (Click image to see more cards). The designs are copied from Fournier's 'Castilian' pattern. There had been an earlier edition of Baraja ‘El Halcon’ with more imaginative designs. There are no further details of the manufacturer printed on the cards.

La Nueva Baraja Disney

Above: Anon Mexican children's Walt Disney playing cards featuring double-ended Disney characters on the court cards, and single-ended cartoon figures on the number cards. A slight design error can be seen in the corner indices where a different typeface has been used for the Hearts and Spades suits  (Click image to see more cards).

Cartas Panoramicas - Visite Mexico y Conozca su Pasado

Above: Mexican ‘Panoramic Playing Cards’ by an anonymous manufacturer  (Click image to see more cards). Designed for the tourist market, the pack includes a tourist map of Mexico and a guide to the beauties of Mexico and its ancient cultures. The captions on the cards are bi-lingual Spanish-English. Plastic coated cards, 52 cards + 2 Jokers in box + map.