Christopher Columbus playing cards

Published December 17, 2022 • Updated January 16, 2025

“Baraja Cristóbal Colón” commemorating the 500th anniversary of the death of Christopher Columbus.

This pack was printed by Naipes Comas and published by Asescoin (Asociación Española de Coleccionismo e Investigación del Naipe) in 2006 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Christopher Columbus (1451-1506). Printed in a limited edition of 1500 packs, the 40 Spanish-suited cards and 2 jokers (comodín) are beautifully and elaborately illustrated by Vicente Arnás. The pack was designed by Albero Pérez. The court cards (numbered 10-12) are all named. Columbus appears on the ace of coins, and the 4 of each suit is lavishly illustrated. In addition, there are 3 information cards and a title card. See the box►

“Baraja Cristóbal Colón” printed by Naipes Comas and published by Asescoin, 2006

Above: “Baraja Cristóbal Colón” printed by Naipes Comas and published by Asescoin, 2006.

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By Peter Burnett

United Kingdom • Member since July 27, 2022

I graduated in Russian and East European Studies from Birmingham University in 1969. It was as an undergraduate in Moscow in 1968 that I stumbled upon my first 3 packs of “unusual” playing cards which fired my curiosity and thence my life-long interest. I began researching and collecting cards in the early 1970s, since when I’ve acquired over 3,330 packs of non-standard cards, mainly from North America, UK and Western Europe, and of course from Russia and the former communist countries.

• Russian Playing Cards

Following my retirement from the Bodleian Library in Dec. 2007 I took up a new role as Head of Library Development at the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to support library development in low-income countries. This work necessitated regular training visits to many sub-Saharan African countries and also further afield, to Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh – all of which provided rich opportunities to further expand my playing card collection.

Since 2019 I’ve been working part-time in the Bodleian Library where I’ve been cataloguing the bequest of the late Donald Welsh, founder of the English Playing Card Society.