Grimaud - 50 Cartas Españolas

7/13/2026

Grimaud - 50 Cartas Españolas

Today, we’re looking at a beautiful Spanish-suited deck by French manufacturer Grimaud (ref. 391090), aptly named 50 Cartas Españolas. Information on this particular release is incredibly scarce, though its production date can most likely be traced back to the early 1990s

True to its name, this is a 50-card Spanish deck displaying the Catalan pattern, featuring elaborate and detailed artwork—something relatively uncommon for this particular style. I must also point out its striking resemblance to Fournier's No. 32, most noticeably in the court cards, which feature virtually identical poses and attire, though the similarities extend to the rest of the deck as well. Perhaps the similarities are too pronounced to call it merely inspired by, yet the decks aren't completely identical either; Grimaud's version displays slightly bolder outlines and flatter colors. Ultimately, this kind of design 'recycling' is common among card manufacturers, and one could say it is part of this industry's nature.

Focusing now on the deck at hand, the color scheme is strikingly limited across all cards to just one or two shades of yellow, blue, red, and green, completely devoid of gradients or shading. Yet, interestingly enough, without ever feeling flat or monotonous. This is achieved in a rather clever way: while all court cards share the same palette, each suit features a dominant hue in the characters' attire that contrasts sharply with the suit symbols themselves—such as the red garments on the court cards of Coins contrasting with the yellow of the pips.

While this design device is common to other Catalan-pattern decks, it stands out particularly well here, perhaps due to the limited color selection or the way they are paired. Without dwelling too much on the comparison, it's worth noting that this same color arrangement is also found in Fournier's No. 32, though it feels more subtle there due to a wider variety of shades that downplays the overall effect.

Rather curiously, the joker doesn't follow the art style of the deck or Spanish standards for that matter; instead, it features the Ace of Clubs from Grimaud's classic French-suited Cartes à Jouer—a design highly recognizable in its own right.

The cards are printed on a flexible stock that makes for comfortable handling, though they could have been a bit thicker. They feature a matte finish that beautifully enhances the colors, further accentuating the visual effect described above.

All in all, this is a genuinely attractive deck boasting excellent and meticulous craftsmanship. We will certainly return to it in a future post, as it is intimately linked to another release we’ll be exploring further down the road.