Juan Roura - La Hispano Americana

8/15/2026

Juan Roura - La Hispano Americana - Nº 32

INTRODUCTION & IDENTIFICATION DETAILS

Today we examine a Juan Roura deck from his prolific La Hispano Americana brand—specifically, model No. 32. As with other packs from this maker, documentary evidence is exceedingly scarce, if not outright nonexistent.

The earliest two examples documented in reference literature date to the 1930s, featuring lithographed artwork and, curiously enough, with advertising backs on both copies. The Fournier Museum online catalogue also lists a 1960 deck bearing the same back design as the one featured here—albeit in a different colorway—and produced via offset. In our case, the tax stamp corresponds to the 1956–1964 period, positioning it among the last printings from the Barcelona maker prior to its buyout by Fournier in 1962.

ICONOGRAPHY & DESIGN

This is a 50-card Spanish-suited deck in the Catalan pattern, showcasing more elaborate and detailed illustrations than those found in the Naipes Finos de Una Hoja model from this same brand. As with the latter, we once again find the twin-planet motif framed between columns on the 4 of Cups, albeit presented here with more modest proportions and a somewhat more stylized composition. Furthermore, the jokers bring back the elaborate monochrome engraving featuring that same imagery, which we previously saw in La Hispano Americana No. 21.

One cannot help but notice the similarities between these designs and Fournier’s No. 32, with which this deck also shares its reference number. However, noteworthy differences emerge upon closer inspection: slight variations in the posture of some courts, distinct ornamentation on the aces, and a particularly conspicuous "mirrored" orientation of the Ace of Batons between the two packs. In the same vein, the card back features remarkably similar patterns and shapes, though not quite identical.

Given that these are two contemporary decks with such closely matched linework, one could hypothesize that one was based on the other, or that both drew inspiration from an earlier third model. Unfortunately, I have not located any preceding pack with these traits, so for now, the matter remains purely in the realm of speculation.

MATERIALS & FINISH

The cards feature a matte varnish that lends them a smooth, pleasant texture. Both the cardstock quality and overall finish match the standard seen on No. 21 from the same manufacturer, clearly outperforming the cruder build of Naipes Finos de Una Hoja, suggesting that the latter served as the entry-level or budget option within the Barcelona maker's catalogue.

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