Spanish deck patterns: Castilian, Catalan and Nacional
The regional patterns of the Spanish deck: Castilian (Fournier 1889), modern Catalan, Nacional/old Catalan, Madrid and Seville. Visual features and where each one is still in use.
The Spanish deck is not a single design. There are patterns —Castilian, Catalan, Nacional and others— with own visual features and different usage zones. What sets them apart and where each is still alive.
If a Spanish deck looks "different" from what you remember, it\'s probably a different regional pattern. Spain didn\'t have a single playing card but several, fixed for centuries under the state card monopoly (the "estanco"). Today several still coexist and some survive in unexpected places. This guide reviews the main ones, what visually distinguishes them and where each is still used.
Patterns
Castilian (Fournier, 1889)
The dominant pattern in Spain and much of Latin America. It\'s what almost everyone thinks of when saying "Spanish deck".
Visual features:
- Straight dagger-type swords, no curves, not crossed (except on the three).
- Intense red cups, not muted.
- Bearded kings, with crown and detailed clothing.
- Human faces inside the coins (very recognisable peculiarity).
- Full-body figures, not half-body.
- Clear pinta in the frames: 0 cuts=coins, 1=cups, 2=swords, 3=clubs.
History: fixed by Heraclio Fournier with Emilio Soubrier and Ignacio Díaz Olano between 1875 and 1877 in Vitoria. The mature 1889 version won a bronze medal at the Paris Universal Exposition. Fournier\'s industrialisation enabled producing it at sufficient scale to impose it over previous regional patterns.
Where it\'s used: Spain and almost all of Latin America.
Modern Catalan
The second most extended pattern in Spain. Has its own visual identity.
Visual features:
- Egg-cup shaped cups, rounder and lower.
- Predominant colours yellow and green.
- Kings showing the calf (dressed with short skirt or short breeches).
- Swords with more elaborate guard.
- Figures also full-body.
Where it\'s used: mainly Catalonia, part of Aragon and Mediterranean areas.
Nacional / old Catalan
This is the most interesting pattern for enthusiasts: born in Barcelona in the 17th century, adopted by the Real Fábrica in late 18th century as official "national" card, then displaced in Spain itself by Fournier\'s Castilian in the 19th. But it survived in zones where it arrived with exports and was not replaced there.
Visual features:
- Kings with long tunic reaching the pinta, occupying almost the full card height.
- More stylised and archaic figures than Castilian.
- Pinta integrated in the frame surrounding the figures.
Where it\'s used today:
- Ecuador — still used for the Cuarenta game, Ecuadorian national game.
- North Africa — Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, where it arrived with Hispanic presence and was maintained.
It\'s a fascinating case: the "oldest Spanish pattern in use" survives outside Spain.
Madrid and Seville (extinct)
Patterns that existed in the 17th and 18th centuries, both without "pinta" and without indices, closer to the French-Spanish pattern. They were suppressed when the Real Fábrica adopted the old Catalan as national card in late 18th century.
The Madrid pattern has its own historical interest: it engendered the Sicilian and Neapolitan patterns when exported to southern Italy with Hispanic presence. That is, although extinct in Spain today, there are living lines descending from it in Italy.
Italian patterns: Neapolitan and Sicilian
Not technically "Spanish deck" patterns, but they share the Latin suits system (coins, cups, swords, clubs) and descend from the Madrid pattern:
- Neapolitan: used in Naples and southern Italy. Curved interlaced swords, more elongated cups. For Italian games like Scopa and Briscola.
- Sicilian: Sicilian variant of the Neapolitan. For Sicilian Tressette and other regional games.
- Other Italian: piacentino, toscano, bergamasco, trevigiano.
How to identify a pattern in 30 seconds
- Look at the king\'s swords: straight and dagger-like? Castilian. With elaborate guard? Catalan. Curved? Italian.
- Look at the kings: bearded full-body with staff? Castilian. With short skirt? Catalan. With long tunic reaching down? Nacional / old Catalan.
- Look at the coins: are there human faces inside? Castilian. Just the disc? Others.
- Look at dominant colours: intense red = Castilian; yellow and green = modern Catalan.
- Look at the box: if it says "Fournier" + "Castellano", confirms.
Which to use today
- For mus, tute, brisca, guiñote: Castilian (it\'s the one everyone knows, no visual learning curve). Fournier 1.034 or Fournier 50 are reference.
- To play in Catalonia: modern Catalan.
- For collecting or historical reissues: nacional / old Catalan.
- To play Ecuadorian cuarenta: nacional.
- For Italian games (Scopa, Briscola): corresponding Italian pattern.
Frequently asked questions
What\'s the "lifelong" Spanish deck?
The Castilian pattern (Fournier 1889) — the one half of Hispanic world uses.
Is the Catalan deck very different?
Visually yes, but structurally it\'s the same: 40-48 cards, same suits, same figures.
Why does the nacional pattern survive in Ecuador?
It arrived with Spanish exports in 18th-19th centuries and settled. When Fournier\'s Castilian displaced it in Spain, in Ecuador it remained in use.
Are there extinct patterns?
Yes. Madrid, Toledo, Valencia and Seville patterns disappeared around 18th century.
What brand makes Spanish decks with nacional or Catalan pattern?
Fournier produces special editions. For historical reissues, small brands and museum reproductions.
Contact our team for any clarification about this document. Contact us
