Kickstarter: Kingdoms of a New World Playing Cards

Created by Nathanael Mortensen in collaboration with illustrator Jonas Akerlund, Kingdoms of a New World is a beautifully illustrated deck of playing cards inspired by the world of Fantasy Sci-Fi. The artwork and style used in popular Customisable Card Games have been thoughtfully replicated in this deck. 

Currently a Kickstarter campaign, the project is seeking $18k in funding and there is no doubt the goal will be met in the next few days. A lot of hard work has been put into the design and illustration of the deck.



For example, each suit represents a different kingdom: Spades - Spirit, Clubs - Nature, Diamonds - Technology and Hearts - Sky. The intricate design of the borders are illustrated beautifully to represent each court cards' kingdom. Having said that, each of the court cards are custom and unique to each kingdom which exemplify the uniqueness of this deck.



The backs are beautifully designed with the four kingdom being represented in each corner of the card. As a result of the design, the backs are more one-way and might turn some cardists off. However, due to the subtle design of the back and the beautiful illustrations on the face cards, doubt anyone will notice.

No images for the tuck case or aces have been published yet. With more than 20 days remaining in the project, I am certain the creator will update backers as the campaign progresses.

The deck will be printed by the United States Playing Card Company and will be Bicycle branded. There are three decks on offer to backers- One red and one blue unlimited decks and one limited deck with a mysterious black and gold back. Pledge starts from $11.

The first deck is due out to the backers by July 2014.

Kickstarter: GOLD Bicycle Playing Cards

From Elite Playing Cards- the producers of Ritual, Majestic, Divine and Evolution, all successful Kickstarter projects, comes another classy looking deck- The Gold Bicycle. The Gold Bicycle is the first deck on Elite's Premium Collection series. A meticulously crafted and elegantly refined deck.

The Gold Bicycle designs especially the pips and the suits are of baroque influence. From the images, it looks like the faces are also laced by gold metallic accents. Absolutely love the meticulous details on each of the Aces.

No word on the court cards at the moment but of the listed features of the deck is that it will be 100% custom art. Meanwhile the intricate enchanting backs that resemble gold foil, are printed in a deep gold metallic ink. Stunning!

Finally, the tuck case leatherette design adds a touch of luxury and elegance. One can only wonder if the case will be embossed. Having said that, the case will be made with highly reflective gold foil once the stretch goal has been met. The deck will be printed by the quality, durable Bicycle stock with custom finish.

There are various levels of pledges available for this project. The most notable are the limited edition gold plated aluminium ace of spades made from anodised aluminium. Will definitely look good on your collection.

The first deck is due out to backers on March 2014.

News: Albino Dragon Launches The Princess Bride Playing Cards; Reaches Goal in Less Than 24 Hours

From Albino Dragon, the game studio that brought you the most successful playing card deck to grace Kickstarter, comes a playing card project that is trending toward being an even larger project - a deck themed after the 80's cult classic The Princess Bride. Launched earlier today, The Princess Bride themed playing card project has already surpassed the initial goal of $10,000 and is currently over 160% funded. Because of the earlier project's success, Albino Dragon was able to secure the licensing to the highly popular 1987 romantic-comedy/fantasy film that starred Christopher Guest, Cary Elwes and Robin Wright. The movie was an adaptation of the novel by William Goldman.

The playing card deck will feature similar artwork as Albino Dragon's previous projects with 100% custom illustrative designs.  While a lot of the artwork is still under lock in key or yet to be produced, Shane Tyree, Albino Dragon's creative director on past projects including The Name Of The Wind, will not be involved in this project. Shane left Albino Dragon a little less than a month ago after a difference in opinion with Albino Dragon's CEO Erik Dahlman. This will be Albino Dragon's first project without Shane but after today's success it looks like they are off to a good start without him. However, we will miss you Shane and you can follow his future projects here.

The project will fund for another 35 days when it will cease funding on November 26, 2013. The decks will be printed by The United States Playing Card Company. Do you think this will be bigger than Albino Dragon's previous project?

Here is a look at the artwork courtesy of the project's Kickstarter page:

Bohemia Playing Cards

Bohemia is the second deck in a six deck series by Uusi, the design company established by Peter Dunham and Linnea Gits. A successful Kickstarter project, Bohemia's artwork was inspired by the fusion of 17th-century Baroque style with contemporary, urban street art.

The tuck case design itself is very artistic. It is incorporates a unique divergent artistic influences, with the Bohemia logo written in traditional calligraphy on the front. The back meanwhile shows the back design of the cards. It is eye-catching and has an organic feel to it.

The deck is really impressive. All imagery in the deck is hand-painted. Every.Single.Card.  For example, the pips and indices are painted in varying shades of luminous blue for the dark suits of Spades and Clubs and lushly romantic red for the light suits of Hearts and Diamonds.

The court cards are the highlight of this deck. The Queen of Spades, for instance, is depicted as having voluminous, Marie Antoinette-style hair and an undulating silhouette, her dainty hands holding the traditional bedpost-like sceptre, while the one-eyed Jacks (Spades and Hearts) resemble knights or even gentlemen of the royal court, as they’re pictured riding horses and holding either a sword or a lance. Amazing details!

The deck is made with the traditional Bicycle stock with the standard Air-Cushion finish. Needless to say, handling is pretty darn good for all your flourishing needs but IMHO, these cards would look better in your collection.

This is another must have deck for any card collector. The design from the tuck case to each individual card is amazing. Each card could stand on it's own as an art piece. Also, this is a limited edition deck (only 3,500 produced) so try and get your hands on one.

Pros: 
- Elegant and unique tuck case
- Beautiful artwork on each individual card
- Very detailed custom court cards
- Eye-catching back design.

Cons:
- None

Overall: 
- 5/5

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News: New Sherlock Holmes Deck by Jackson Robinson [Updated]

After two successful playing card (Federal 52) projects on Kickstarter, Jackson Robinson has announced that he has been in talks with the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate and was granted an approval to make an officially licensed Sherlock Holmes Playing Card Deck.

According to Jackson, he's always been captivated by the characters and stories of Sir Conan Doyle and will contribute his own unique style and spin to the Holmes universe.

The project will feature three decks – The Baker Street Edition, The Holmes Edition and The Moriarty Edition and a completely unique court set featured on all three card decks. Jackson will also be making a limited edition set available for backers.

Update: 
The art for the King of Spades cards have been released. Looks stunning!

More details to follow but as of time of writing this article, Jackson plans to live with the project on Kickstarter around the first of November.

The Curator Deck

One card a week for an entire year. That's how it all started! Artist Emmanuel Jose has created every element of this breathtaking deck entirely by hand. No digital software, or pen and ink. Every design was painstakingly crafted out of paper.

The tuck case design has a minimalist feel to it. It is simple and classy with a touch of elegance. The Curator logo can be seen on the case and Emmanuel Jose's artistic signature on the bottom. On the back is the monogram of Emmanuel Jose, an ‘E’ and a ‘J’ beautifully styled into the form of a spade. Genius! One thing you will notice about this deck is that, there is no seal. Nice! I am one of those who have trouble breaking the seal.

Inside, each card is individually designed making it a unique gem. Lots of creativity has gone into this and there are many allusions to stories and well known characters and images along the way. Each court card is unique and beautifully design like the other cards. Also the theme is consistent across all card, sticking to the black, white and red colours.

The back design is fairly minimal but tastefully done. It features scissors, hinting at the method used to create this masterwork. As for the handling, it is smooth as butter and that is what one would expect from the Bicycle stock.

This is a must have for any card collector. Everything from the tuck case to each individual card is breathtaking. I just love the simplicity of this deck and going through each card is a delight. This is a limited edition deck (only 3,500 produced) so don't wait too long.

Pros:
- Unique minimalist deck
- Beautiful artwork on each individual card
- Simplistic design

Cons:
- Back design underwhelming

Overall:
- 5/5

 

News: The Dark Knight Joker Cards (Set of 4) Movie Prop Sells for $800

Last month the comic book empire DC Entertainment launched a crowd funding campaign on IndieGoGo.com in order to raise funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa. With the campaign, which is still running and is called DC Entertainment: We Can Be Heroes - Justice League Edition, DC is giving pledgers a chance to secure limited edition and one of a kind memorabilia from DC's long list of characters and stories.

One particular item of memorabilia that is relevant to this playing card site is the actual set of Joker cards used in the movie The Dark Knight, which went live today on the campaign. According to the IndieGoGo campaign, the set even includes the “Will the real Batman please stand up” playing card that was pinned to the chest of the ‘fake Batman’ in The Dark Knight.  Well, if you thought you had a chance to grab this one of a kind exclusive, guess again! The set of 4 was almost instantly scooped up today by an anonymous pledger for a whopping price tag (donation as they call it) of $800. Yes folks, that is $200 per card!

News: Jackson Robinson Inks Creative Contract with the United States Playing Card Company

Jackson Robinson, of the widely successful Federal 52 playing card project, and The United States Playing Card Company (USPCC) have inked a creative contract/agreement that will give Jackson the opportunity to design exclusive playing card decks with the USPCC and it's Bicycle brand of playing cards. Jackson made the announcement on Facebook and on his Federal 52 Part II Kickstarter project late in the evening on Tuesday night - October 15, 2013. The key points in the announcement from Jackson reads:

 I have officially signed a creative contract with  The United States Playing Card Company.

I get the incredible opportunity to design future decks for USPC(C) and it's subsidiary, Bicycle. 

The decks that I design for Bicycle will be exclusive to them, while I get to independently continue to create the Highest Quality Luxury decks under the Kings Wild Project name.

All of the Federal 52 decks have no part of this agreement, this is only for future projects.

Kickstarter: 3D Metal and Mechanized Playing Cards

Electromechanical Designer Dale Mathis launched this very unique Kickstarter project today that breaks new ground in playing card development. Dale has designed a clockwork like contraption that is complete with movable gears and a mechanical card frame to this unique eye-catching tuck case. 



Along with the deck, backers of the project can pledge for a display frame as an add-on that turn this deck into a displayable contraption. Looks awesome!



If funded, the cards will be printed by the United States Playing Card on standard Bicycle playing card stock and embossed finish. Only the tuck case, back design and Jokers are of custom design.

This Kickstarter project has a funding goal of $35k and will fund for only 30 days. Decks start at $25 without the mechanical frame. You can also pledge for the display frame at $155 to show off this stunning work of art.

Limited October Playing Cards

The masters of DanandDave.com just released October Playing Cards by Brad Fulton. Only available for the month of October or while stocks last, the October Playing Cards are a limited release.

October Playing Cards is a frightfully fun and whimsically illustrated artwork of Steven Noble. Images of Halloween season such as pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts and ghouls are clearly visible.



The tuck case is embossed and the artwork has this fun feel to it. What is impressive is the printing inside the tuck case that makes it really unique. However, the artwork design on front and back of the box is repeated. A disappointment!

As for the cards, they are a little underwhelming. The backs are quite fancy but that is just it. It is not eye catching and doesn't really stand out.



The court cards are custom. It is very well illustrated and really unique. However with the exception of the King of Hearts, the court cards are identical across suits! Another disappointment.

Finally, the handling is as expected. Awesome for cuts, flourishes, fans and faros. The usual high quality finish by the United States Playing Card Company.



I am a little disappointed with this deck. The artwork is beautiful and the deck handles like a dream but the design is underwhelming and the customisation seems lazy. It seems like this deck was rushed out to meet the October deadline. As this is a limited edition, I reckon it is still a must have for collectors. 

Pros: 
- Unique deck theme
- Beautiful artwork
- High quality finish

Cons:
- Back design underwhelming
- Repetitive custom courts
- Repetitive front and back tuck case design

Overall: 
- 2.5/5

News: Artist Jackson Robinson to Launch Sherlock Holmes Playing Card Project in November

In less than a month, Jackson Robinson, the creator behind one of the most successful playing card projects on Kickstarter.com - Federal 52, will launch his next playing card project. Jackson's upcoming project is inspired by one of the World's most famous literary characters to ever grace print - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Jackson has been granted an official license by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate and will be collaborating with Sherlockian Experts that the Estate has made available to him. The collaboration will aid Jackson in maintaining the characters' integrity as Doyle originally intended when he first inked his characters into existence.

 The majority of the project's details are under lock and key. However, we have been given early information as well as a sneak peak of the project. According to Jackson, he will be pulling inspiration from various actors and actresses who have portrayed Doyle's characters over the years but he will also contribute his own style and spin to the world of Holmes. The project will feature three decks - The Baker Street Edition, The Holmes Edition and The Moriarty Edition (as seen below) and a completely unique court set featured on all three card decks (the same design to go to all three decks). Jackson will also be making a limited edition set available for backers.

Here is a sneak peak designs of the project courtesy of Jackson:

News: A Closer Look Into Card Experiment's Upcoming Utopia Playing Cards

Exclusive for the 2013 year you can receive 10% off at Cardexperiment.com with the use of the following discount code: TUCKCASECX10 (including the pre-order of Utopia)

With last week's news release regarding the pre-order of Card Experiment's upcoming playing card deck called Utopia, Card Experiment has given us at TuckCase.com and inside look into the design and layout of the deck.

Here are Utopia's details according to Card Experiment:

Utopia: A seemingly perfect and ideal place. When ideals collide, Utopia descends into Dystopia. The Utopia deck toys with the notions of loss of self and identity as well as conformity using highly structured and similar arrangements dosed with a touch of surrealistic imagery.

• Printed on Premium Aristocrat® stock with Magic Finish provides exceptional handling


• Featuring custom designed backs, aces, jokers, court cards & pips printed using metallic inks


• Designed by Tarin Yuangtrakul(Tab) from Bangkok, Thailand


• Printed by The US Playing Card Company


• 2,500-3,000 will be printed


• Designed by Tarin Yuangtrakul (Tab)


• Produced by Card Exeperiment

Pre-order date: October 8, 2013 10PM EST @ Cardexperiment.com

About the artist:

Tarin Yuangtrakul (Tab) is an artist, illustrator, and graphic designer from Bangkok, Thailand. His illustration style is rough and abrasive in the most beautiful, intricate way. Full of movement, emotion and aggressive lines, Tarin creates his renderings combining both traditional and digital media.

Inside Look:

Dan And Dave Release Limited Edition October Playing Cards

Tonight at 11pm EST/8pm PST, DanandDave.com released October Playing Cards by Brad Fulton. October Playing Cards are a limited release and will only be available through October 31 or while the decks are available. October Playing Cards is a whimsical deck that plays on the fantastical images of the Halloween season such as pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts and ghouls. The deck is printed by the United States Playing Card Company and is 100% custom designed by Brad Fulton and artist Steven Nobel with a complete inside tuck case Halloween design.

Over the past few days, Dan and Dave have been releasing teasers of the upcoming deck with simply the word "October." The announcement was made of the release about 2 hours before the launch.

Brad Fulton is creative director for DanandDave.com and has put his signature on various other card deck releases including Fulton's Clip Joint and Fulton's Chinatown.

Artist Steven Nobel, who illustrated the cards, has done work with major companies on branding and packaging including  Mercedez-Benz, Annheiser-Busch and Exxon-Mobil.

Kickstarter: Artist Dale Mathis Set to Launch First Ever 3D and Mechanical Playing Cards

Electromechanical Designer Dale Mathis of Las Vegas is set to launch his very first Kickstarter project on October 12th that breaks new ground in playing card development. The actual cards are just like a standard deck of playing cards. However, what makes this deck so unique is what happens after you are done playing a game of cards. The "3D and Mechanical" piece to this project is in the tuck case and the add-ons the turn this deck into a displayable contraption complete with a special frame. Dale has designed a clockwork like contraption that is complete with movable gears and a mechanical card frame.

To get a closer look at how this all looks, here is a video produced by Dale and his team:



If funded, the cards inside the mechanical tuck case will be printed by the United States Playing Card on standard Bicycle playing card stock and embossed finish. The design is not 100% custom as only the tuck case, back design and Jokers are of custom design.


It is clear this deck is all about the case it is displayed in.

The project will have a goal of $35K and will fund for only 30 days. Decks start at $25 without the mechanical frame. The frame tier starts at $155.