Dal Negro - 162 Carte da Canasta
Canasta was created in Uruguay in the first half of the 20th century. Belonging to the same family as Rummy, the goal is to form card melds to score points across multiple rounds. It features tactical depth, hand management, and engine-building elements that make it feel closer to a modern Eurogame than a traditional card game. It's usually played with two standard 54-card decks, though depending on the variant and player count, a third pack may be added.
The pack featured today is a modified pack adapted exclusively for the rules of this game. It's from the Italian manufacturer Dal Negro, and called 162 Carte da Canasta. It actually comes as a boxed set containing three identical decks, one of which we will be examining here.
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Let's move on to the changes made to tailor the pack to the game's mechanics. Most notably, standard suits have been eliminated as they play no role in gameplay. The red and black color coding remains, even though it also carries little significance outside of the 3s, which serve distinct roles based on their color. Consequently, each deck features a doubled set of each 'color suit'.
The suit pips—spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds—have been replaced by a circle featuring a cornucopia at its center, referencing the name of the game (canasta = basket). Furthermore, the filigree-style ornamentation bordering these circles is vaguely reminiscent of the coins found in Spanish suits, also used in traditional Italian playing cards.
A rather curious detail in the design of this set lies in the court cards, which are identical across all suits save for the color of the indices. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes clear that these are not 'generic' figures, but rather repurposed designs of specific courts from the Anglo-American pattern. Specifically, the Jack corresponds to Hearts, the Queen to Diamonds, and the King to Clubs. Standard features and ornamentation remain intact—such as the Jack's axe, the King's orb, or the Queen's robes. In fact, looking a bit closer, tiny suit pips can still be spotted scattered throughout the artwork, revealing that these were likely reused from other standard decks in Dal Negro's catalog.
Lastly, the most 'conventional' cards in the pack are the Jokers, which feature the somewhat sinister-looking harlequin typical of Dal Negro decks. The set also includes cards outlining the scoring values and a summary of the game rules, naturally in Italian.
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Regarding cardstock and finishing, there's hardly any need to elaborate—Dal Negro is virtually synonymous with quality, and this set lives up to that reputation. The standout feature is its smooth, satin finish, closely resembling what is typically found on Modiano cards. All three decks are housed in a sleek, minimalist two-piece slide box with very little text, imparting a very classic aesthetic. My particular copy is an older release, likely dating to the 1970s or 1980s; newer editions come in packaging with a somewhat busier design, though they remain quite handsome.
Black A
Red A
Black B
Red B
Card Back & Jokers
Extra Cards
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