Nutrimientos Purina
Nutrimientos Purina (Purina pet foods) advertising playing cards produced by Miguel Galas S.A. (Brown & Bigelow), Mexico, c.1960.

Nutrimientos Purina by Miguel Galas (Brown & Bigelow), Mexico, c.1960
Nutrimientos Purina (Purina pet foods) advertising playing cards produced by Miguel Galas S.A. (Brown & Bigelow), Mexico, c.1960. The Ace of Spades has the name of the manufacturer's branch in Mexico, Miguel Galas S.A., printed at the bottom. The reverse of the cards has an Aztec calendar motif in the centre of a red and white chequered area. This is also shown on the box.

Brown & Bigelow Co. of St Paul, Minnesota was a leading U.S. playing card producer from the late 1920s until the 1980s. This advertising deck was produced by a Mexican subsidiary, Miguel Galas S.A. who were paper and pulp producers. The deck is otherwise completely standard and uses Brown & Bigelow's most familiar Ace of Spades and Joker. The court cards are their later, re-drawn version, c.1960.

Above: Nutrimientos Purina playing cards by Miguel Galas S.A. (Brown & Bigelow), Mexico, c.1960. Plastic coated, 52 cards + 4 Jokers in matching tuck box.

By Simon Wintle
Member since February 01, 1996
I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.
Related Articles

Pathé Marconi
Special promotion pack for French record company Pathé Marconi.

ViVa Bourg
A distinctive deck of cards for a specific promotion.

Dancing
“Dancing” playing cards manufactured by Nintendo for Torii Dance School, Osaka.

Agent Provocateur
Branded lingerie collection in a pack of pin-up playing cards.

Shin-Tōmei Expressway Opening Commemoration
Promotional playing cards for the Shin-Tōmei Expressway, a major Japanese expressway that opened in ...

Copechat Paramount Sorting System
Preserving the past: a specimen deck showcasing edge-notched cards and their ingenious sorting syste...

Heartsette by Herbert Fitch & Co, 1893
A glimpse into a busy print and design office in late Victorian London.

Intersigma
A Czech advertising deck for a company dealing with pump technology.

Rap Rummy
Rap Rummy made by Parker Brothers in 1926, only 4 years after the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s to...

German Travel Cards
A travel-themed educational deck helping American tourists visiting Germany.

Can You Believe Your Eyes?
“Can You Believe Your Eyes?” playing cards featuring visual illusions & other oddities.

Tarot de Valverde de la Vera
A series of 24 surrealist engravings by Mexican artist Claudio Favier in which archetypal Tarot alle...

Visite Mexico
Promoting Mexican tourism with 54 different photographs in full colour.

Get Decked
Black and white cartoons devised by Sam Wagner with help from artist Lindsay Bevington.

IG Chemie Papier Keramik
Promotional pack designed by Karl-Heinz Schroers for a German trade union with comical bears on the ...

Beowulf
Jackson Robinson's Beowulf playing card deck inspired by the Old English pagan poem.
Most Popular
Our top articles from the past 28 days