News: Black Friday New Releases

As the dust settles from the mad rush of Black Friday, here's a quick look at the new releases by the big boys:

The Blue Crown 

Black NOC Deck - I am not a big fan of minimalist card design but this deck looks attractive in a subtle way. Very elegant, simple and very bold. The NOC tuck box yet has been rendered in pure Black & White. The Ace of Spades and Jokers carries a minimalistic design. The faces and court cards are standard.

The Conjuring Arts Research Center

Exquisite Decks - Two editions were released, the  Ultra Rare Red edition which back design is the reversal of the original 1895 artwork and printed in a deep, rich metallic red. The unique sideways tuck is foil stamped on all sides. This deck comes in a custom Pack Jacket made only for this deck and release and not for sale separately.  The second is the worker edition of this deck is made of the original back design (not reversed), printed in metallic blue and it also has a sideways tuck completely done in a beautiful blue foil. Bought this without thinking twice.

Legend v2 Deck - The very popular Legend v2 decks were sold out in less that 3 hours of release. Printed in an exclusive metallic black, only 800 were available for sale.

DnD 
Bruce Lee Playing Cards - Been following the teaser that DnD posted over the past week. For me, another disappointing release by the twins. The tuck looks promising... but that was it. The backs are one way replica of Fultons Chinatown and courts + aces are... non-existent.

Ellusionist None - Surprisingly no new releases from the big E.

Theory11 
Black JAQK - Love the JAQKs and the strong social media marketing made this a winner. No brainer for me... grabbed a few of these babies!

Medallions Playing Cards - Teased by Theory11 just a few days before the release. Beautiful and detailed tuck with a very elegant Victorian era feel. Was a little let down but the average looking courts... but that didn't stop me from adding them to my cart.

Theory11 Teases Medallion Playing Cards

Earlier today, the guys from Theory11 (@theory11) teased the other one of FOUR release for the upcoming Black Friday event. This one actually got me excited with the awesome embossed details on the tuck box.

First Look: Requiem Playing Cards

Created by Sweden based Italian artist/designer Lorenzo Gaggiotti, this unique set of playing cards is gory and dark but beautiful in a weird way - this deck will not be to everyone's liking. Requiem is custom designed and features darkness and pain as a theme.

For example, the suits are made out of broken Hearts, Clubs with thorns, cracked Diamonds and dry leaves as Spades. The proposed deck colour will be in blood red which makes it a very strong looking deck. I believe the balancing of colours and art does evoke some sort of emotion that I cannot explain. Maybe that's the objective of the designer...

At this stage, no release date has been given as Lorenzo is still looking for an investor/backer to make this deck a reality. The Kickstarter path is another option if the former does not eventuate. Time will tell.

News: Dan and Dave Teases Collaboration [Updated]

In conjunction with their birthday, Dan and Dave (@bucktwins) teased an interesting photo announcing a collaboration '73 years in the making'.

A Bruce Lee deck? Time to brush up on your mechanic kung-fu grip!

Update: 
D&D put up a few teaser photos on instagram yesterday and it had the Bruce Lee's signature black and yellow. Looks very much like Fulton's Chinatown: Game of Death (Yellow) deck.

News: Theory11 Announced BLACK JAQK for Black Friday

Theory11 (@theory11) just announced on social media yet another recolored a Limited Edition BLACK JAQK for Black Friday. This is one of the four 'new' releases scheduled for 11/29 at 11:00am EST.

I personally don't mind another iteration of the JAQKs. There's something elegant about this deck; the gorgeous tuck case with the metallic foils, the unique court cards with different grape-related theme for each suits and the eye-catching designed pips!

Can't wait!

Kickstarter: Pagan Playing Cards

The genius that is Peter Dunham and Linnea Gits, designers and artists behind the Chicago-based design studio, Uusi launched their fourth Limited Edition deck on Kickstarter yesterday called Pagan. With no surprise, the Pagan Playing Cards was successfully funded in just 1.5 hours!

Oil painted entirely by hand, Pagan continued Uusi's trend of using a new medium for each deck they've created thus far giving each one its own distinct look. The artwork for the first, sold-out deck, Blue Blood, was created entirely with color pencil. The second deck, Bohemia has a velvety look of gouache to give the artwork a lush, expressive quality. The recent Royal Optik deck was all about the line, using pen & ink to create a woodcut style with the intense geometric patterns of Op Art.

Pagan was inspired by the great forests and lakes of Northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The Pagan era theme was used for this deck because it was a time in history when religious belief went hand in hand with people’s everyday interaction with nature. This can be clearly seen on the beautifully hand-painted court cards. Enchanting!

The Ace of Spades is an important card in the deck as it sets the tone and look of the deck. For this reason, Uusi chose a young woodland tree that has been felled for use, but continues to live on and epitomizes the phrase: Bowed but unbroken.

For the back design, Uusi decides to return to one of the original playing card design elements – the borderless back. This is the first borderless back deck in the series and it suits the theme and looks perfect on the deck. Finally, the tuck box has minimalistic look, rich with details and textures designed to reward the senses with it's intricate embossing and elegant gold pattern work. The shimmering gold look of the Pagan tuck box and card backs was achieved by carefully replicating the look of gold leaf with oil paint.

The deck will be printed by the United States Playing Card Company on Bicycle playing card stock with an Air Cushion (linen) Finish. There are two decks on offer to backers- One Limited Edition Dark Brown deck and an Unlimited Light Cream coloured deck. Pledge starts from $11.

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

Kickstarter: Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark Playing Cards

A week ago, talented artist Shane Tyree (@Shane_Tyree) launched his first solo playing cards project, Call of Cthulhu: The Writhing Dark on Kickstarter. In less than 13 hours, this campaign achieved its' funding goal of $18k. That's an amazing feat considering there are almost a dozen playing card campaigns currently live on Kickstarter.

Shane's previous projects with Albino Dragon broke Kickstarter records not once, but twice. This new campaign offers a follow-up to his original record breaker, the Call Of Cthulhu Bicycle Playing Card Deck, and seeks to not only delve deeper and harder into the Mythos and writings of Lovecraft, but also to offer a new Tarot deck for illuminated seekers to further explore the tales and themes.

There are currently three different decks available on the campaign page. The Unlimited and Limited editions of the playing cards and the Writhing Dark Tarot deck. The Unlimited edition features artwork from Tarot deck and custom Aces and Court Cards. The Limited edition combines the beautiful artwork from the Tarot deck, the custom Aces and Courts from the Unlimited edition deck with a unique illustrated tuck case. Meanwhile, the Tarot deck comes with 78 beautifully illustrated cards including the four suits (Swords, Wands, Cups, Pentacles) and the Major Arcana. The two decks will be printed by the USPCC on Bicycle stock.

Along with the decks, the project offers numerous add-ons and incentives, such as collectible Commemorative Coins and uncut card sheets. To get backers involved in the shaping of the project, an Alternate Reality game is being run in conjunction with the campaign. Players will be able to uncover secrets and special offers. Cool!

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

News: Venexiana Playing Cards Available Online

Half Moon Playing Cards website went live today and for those of you (like me) who missed this successful Kickstarter project, Venexiana Playing Cards... it is now available on their site. This includes the white, black editions and a special a collector's pack with both editions available while stocks last.

Venexiana is a completely custom playing cards deck and every element, from pips to courts, is entirely designed by talented artist Lotrek.

News: Conjuring Arts Research Center Teases Thanksgiving Exquisite Playing Card Release

In a Facebook post earlier today, Conjuring Arts Research Center released an image of an upcoming playing card deck called Exquisite. Conjuring Arts has teased the deck in the past which features a tuck case functionality that is unlike a standard deck of cards. Instead of the top flap opening, the case opens from the side flap for side loading of the cards.

On Conjuring Arts website, the deck is listed to be available on Tryptophan Thursday aka Thanksgiving. In case you were wondering, Tryptophan is an amino acid found in Turkey, which is traditionally served on Thanksgiving. Conjuring Arts describes as "Luxurious" and  "elegant" courtesy of their Facebook page:

The name Exquisite was also the name of De'vo's Signiture Series deck just released on November 2nd, which sold out in less than a week.

Revealed: Introducing Requiem Playing Cards; Designer Searching for Producer/Founder

This week Swedish-based designer Lorenzo Gaggiotti unveiled his playing card project called Requiem Playing Cards by launching a Facebook page for the project. Developed over the Summer of 2013, the deck is a 100% custom designed  and features broken Hearts, Clubs with thorns, cracked Diamonds and the Spades are actually dry leaves. The deck is neither a white or black deck but actually a red deck, which certainly changes up the playing field as this is not commonly a deck color choice.

The deck's theme can be discovered by looking at the name - Requiem. According to Wikipedia....

A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead (Latin: Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead (Latin: Missa defunctorum), is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is frequently, but not necessarily, celebrated in the context of a funeral.

Gaggiotti explains on his Facebook page the following about the deck's dark theme....

It´s a dark deck where bad feelings take their own place on each court and ace. A way to release bad energy and transform bad feelings in beauty.

With the reveal of the deck, Gaggiotti also mentioned he is seeking a founding partner for the deck to fund, produce and distribute the deck. In a comment on his page, he mentioned that Kickstarter was an unlikely option as he does not have a US/UK bank account to run the project. If you are interested in founding the project and support the distribution please inquire with Gaggiotti here.

Post by Requiem Playing Cards - Card deck.

News: Ellusionist Announces the Purple LTD Deck

Ellusionist (@Ellusionist) announced the Purple LTD deck today on social media. Two teaser photos were released within hours of each other. Looks like instead of the usual red pips, it will be purple.  A variation of the popular Limited Red LTD.

Deck will be released on Wednesday (13 Nov).

News: Rare Historic City Playing Cards Up for Auction

This set of yellowed ancient hand-crafted playing cards featuring 52 intricate maps of English and Welsh counties, would be the envy of any card table... as the 337 year-old collection is worth £4,500.

Made by well-known map maker Robert Morden in 1676, each of the hand-drawn 52 cards features a different county along with a map of major cities and roads, as well as the distance to London.

Each card has the name of the county at the top, along with the card number on the left, translated into large Roman numerals on the right. The face cards feature King Charles II, his wife, Catherine of Braganza, as the Queen, and various male heads on the Jack cards.

The 1676 deck will be auctioned at Sotheby's next week.

Kickstarter: Carbon Fiber Playing Cards

This is a truly unique playing card project currently live on Kickstarter. Created by Sly Kly, the Carbon Fiber Playing Cards is a beautifully crafted, one-of-a kind deck that is sure to impress.

The campaign is aiming for $35k in funding and will most likely be funded in the next couple of days as the project hits 52% of its funding goal in less than 48 hours. What makes this project so unique is that the standard deck of playing cards are printed on Real Carbon Fiber, which is very popular in the Aerospace industry, Military, and Motorsports due to its high strength to weight ratio (for another material of the same weight, it is likely to be much stronger).

While the material of the deck is unique, the design is not. The card faces are standard and will be printed White and Red ink on Black 3k Twill Carbon Fiber. The two contrasting colours gives the deck a very mysterious yet elegant look.

No unique tuck case is included. A hinged clear plastic case is included in most pledge level. However, backers can up their pledges to include a Black or Clear Anodized Aluminum case with engraved Logo. A very nice compliment to this beautifully crafted deck.

Depending on funding level, there are three decks on offer to backers - Black Carbon Fiber, Black Carbon Fiber Accented with Red Thread ($70k Stretch Goal) and Black Carbon Fiber Accented with Blue Thread ($100k Stretch Goal). Also, choices of matte or gloss finish. Pledge starts from $100 (early bird).

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

News: The Pagan Playing Card Deck by Uusi

Uusi release a few shot of their upcoming deck - the "Pagan" Playing Card deck, the fourth deck in Uusi's six deck series that will be launching on Kickstarter the third week in November.

All imagery in the deck (from court cards through to the deck's back and tuck box design) have been hand-painted in oil to give the decks imagery a deeply luminous and painterly feel.

The deck imagery was inspired by Pagan era culture and certainly gives a new meaning to the term, "wild card"! Stunning artwork as usual and

Kickstarter: The Sherlock Holmes Playing Card Deck

Jackson Robinson has done it again! After two successful playing card (Federal 52) projects on Kickstarter, the artist with the midas touch- Jackson Robinson  has yet another successful project in his pocket! The Sherlock Holmes Playing Card Deck was successfully funded in little over two hours! Unbelievable!

We've been tracking the progress of this project the past month and it is finally up on Kickstarter. From the campaign site, the project will feature four decks – The Baker Street Edition, the Limited Edition Baker Street Edition, The Holmes Edition and The Moriarty Editions.

The Baker Street Edition features an intricate back design that includes iconic elements from many of the beloved stories. The court cards for the Baker Street Edition are inspired by the original late 19th & 20th century engravings and illustrations that were released with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels and short stories. The tuck case features premium paper stock with embossing and Gold foiling. The tuck case is printed both on the inside and out. The playing cards inside are USPC Aristocrat Paper Stock with an embossed magic finish. It will also come with a custom 221B Tuck Seal.

Meanwhile The Limited Baker Street Edition features the same intricate back design, as the Baker Street Edition, that includes iconic elements from many of the beloved stories. The court cards for the Limited Edition are identical to those in the Baker Street Edition an are inspired by the original late 19th & 20th century engravings and illustrations that were released with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels and short stories. There will only be 1000 of the Limited Edition Baker Street decks printed. 

The Holmes Edition features a simple but elegant tuck case, that features intricate embossing and also gold foiling. The courts cards are a whimsical stylized rendition of the characters of the Conan Doyle world that still have an element of the traditional court cards. The Holmes Edition also features Metallic Red Ink on the face cards as well. It will be USPCC Aristocrat Stock with a traditional cut and an embossed magic finish to maximize the handling of the cards.

Finally, the Moriarty Edition features a simple but elegant tuck case, that features intricate embossing and silver foiling. The Moriarty Edition courts cards are a whimsical stylized rendition of the characters of the Conan Doyle world that still have an element of the traditional court cards we are all accustomed to. The courts designs are the same as the Holmes Edition but with a cold desaturated feel, with elements of grunge and decay, to pay homage to evil villain the take their name sake from. The Moriarty Edition also features Metallic Silver Ink in the place of metallic red. The Moriarty Edition cards will be USPC Aristocrat Stock with a traditional cut and an embossed magic finish to maximize the handling of the cards.

These gorgeous decks will be due out to the backers by March 2014.

Dan and Dave Announces Deckstarter.com

[Update] Deckstarter has officially launched on 28 May 2014. Just prior to the launch, we managed to catch-up with Dan Buck to talk about Deckstarter, how it came about, how it works and the future of Deckstarter.

Here's an interesting piece of news. DnD and Alejandro Portela of thecuso announced that they are collaborating in a new project, Deckstarter.

 Built for designers, Deckstarter is the easiest way to get your own deck from the first paper sketches to the hands of thousands of playing card aficionados. 

This is not surprising considering all the successful playing card projects that have been coming out on Kickstarter. Not sure how diverse the audience will be in Deckstarter in comparison to Kickstarter. The thing that makes Kickstarter unique is that you can discover new, odd and unique projects from across different category. Only time will tell.

Be among the first 500 subscribers and receive early access to obtain a special limited edition deck of playing cards.

Theory11 Releases Red Monarch Playing Cards

Theory11 released the original Monarchs in 2011 and it quickly became one of Theory11's best-selling deck. Then there is the Limited Edition White Monarchs, which overloaded the servers due to high demand.

This year, they're back; and this time... in red. According to the marketing material, the back design has been updated with a vibrant and a more dramatic shade of red.

The tuck case has been updated as well with the highest quality paper ever used on a deck of cards. This luxurious new paper gives the tuck a rich, matte finish — incredibly soft to the touch.

The cards are printed on Q1 quality paper, with ultra-thin borders, first introduced on our Animal Kingdom Playing Cards.

Available for $6.95/deck from Theory11.com