For those of you who didn’t know, it’s National Playing Card Collection Day (NPCCD) today (October 17th)! NPCCD celebrates the collection of one of the oldest forms of portable art (circa 1200s). Playing cards are literal galleries of art and inspiration, showing and communicating the intentions of an artist to the public while also archiving the cultural values of their time. Collecting these art pieces allow us to be curators of our own galleries to display representing different checkpoints in time. These collections can be seen as extensions of the collector and this day is a time to celebrate and share their collections to the public.
To celebrate this special day, Alex Chin has released the highly anticipated 2017 Official NPCCD Deck. This limited edition deck is printed with USPCC on premium Bicycle stock and Magic finish. Available for sale now at NationalCardCollectionDay.com. Here are 5 things you should know about the deck:
1. Features a never before seen 2-part box design.
To celebrate the Second Annual National Playing Card Collection Day Alex wanted to focus on the idea of twos and engineered a completely new deck just for this holiday. Alex told Kardify, “The deck features two different layers (inside/outside) as well as two different pieces (top/bottom) to play with this design theme. The exterior acts as a friction sleeve which is why it lines the sides from top to bottom, but also exposes the box itself highlighting the thumb tab where you pluck the box open. I call it a Pluck Tuck.”
2. Pearl Sleeve Colors are random and extremely limited.
According to Alex, “I wanted to play with our ideas of limited edition and embrace variety.” There are two different editions of the deck (Hand-gilded Black Sleeve and Pearl Sleeves). Both editions are run out of 499 decks making them extremely rare. But of the pearl editions, there are a variety of colors featured within that 499 with some colors being rarer than others. So there might be 150 of one color, 25 of another color and 75 another color all within the pearl sleeve numbering system. “I liked the mystery of not knowing what color you might get when you order them but still having them rare making it a lot of fun to collect. If you order more than one though I’ll guarantee you that you won’t get the same colors in the same package so you’re not stuck with duplicates.”
3. The design aesthetic comes from the quatrefoil “the fanciest shape”
“I stumbled on this fascinating podcast about the origins of the quatrefoil symbol in America. It actually came about during the peak of the Industrial Revolution when designers were seeking “simpler times” and so they referenced pattern books that featured this quatrefoil. It unintentionally became a symbol that represented handcraftsmanship and uniqueness away from the factories. Eventually, it got culturally adapted into a symbol of luxury. But I loved it because it sort of represents where the market is right now and also reflects the nature of the box as well. Each box is assembled and packed by hand referencing this era of craftsmanship the quatrefoil used to represent.”
4. There’s a limited 48-hour launch sale going on NOW.
For only 48 hours the decks will be set at a special launch release pricing and be raised after October 19th midnight. I wanted to reward people who were actually celebrating the event itself since this deck is about bringing more awareness to the holiday.
5. 100% of deck profits go towards a good cause, Portfolio52, the world’s largest playing card database.
All of the profits from NPCCD deck sales go towards helping maintain and build Portfolio52.com. It’s a completely free tool to help discover new playing cards, trade with others, and make managing your collection easier. “It’s something I wished I had when I first started collecting! Unfortunately running a site this big costs a lot of money and time. Instead of asking directly for donations which felt a bit weird, I wanted to give back to the community by creating a unique deck they could display in their collection as a badge of support for the website and the art of card collecting in general.”
Celebrate National Playing Card Collection Day by showing off your collections on social media! As a special promotion for the 2017 NPCCD deck release, Alex will be holding a photo contest on Instagram (@seasonsplayingcards). Share a photo of your collection today with #CardCollectionDay for a chance to win your very own deck! To learn more visit the website NationalCardCollectionDay.com
